Foreign NGO denies backing Papuan independence

Foreign NGO denies backing Papuan independence

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A United States non-governmental organization, the Council of
Foreign Relations, denied suggestions on Friday that its planned
visit to Papua was aimed at giving support for the province's
independence.

The NGO's international advisory board member Jusuf Wanandi
said that the visit was pure in its initiative and not upon the
invitation of the Papuan Presidium Council (PDP) as mentioned by
foreign affairs minister Hassan Wirayuda on Thursday.

The visit was designed, Jusuf said, to provide feedback for
the Indonesian government on measures to be taken so that the
troubled province remained part of the country.

"The result of our planned study in that province would be
submitted to the government," Jusuf told The Jakarta Post.

Hassan said on Thursday that the government would deny entry
to the organization, saying that Jakarta did not see the
importance for the team to visit the country's easternmost
province.

Earlier, PDP claimed that they had invited the U.S.-based NGO
to the province on Dec. 13 to assess the conflict situation
there.

"We have not been invited by PDP. But it is a known fact that
PDP is part of the political reality in Papua and to support the
study we need to talk to all sectors there including PDP," Jusuf
said.

The team is planning to conduct a study in Papua and to
establish a monitoring team to continuously observe the situation
in the province.

"The monitoring team will consist of Indonesian people, no
foreigners are involved," Jusuf asserted.

Foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said that the
Indonesian Embassy in Washington had implicitly told the NGO that
the country would deny them entry to Papua.

Jusuf contended that the NGO were concerned to maintain the
unity of Indonesia and aimed to support the government in dealing
with the separatist movement.

He said that the team would be led by Dennis Blair, former
U.S. pacific fleet commander as he was known to the Indonesian
Military (TNI).

"We will try to explain the condition to the foreign affairs
ministry, and we will delay the planned visit until March next
year," Jusuf added.