Nauru excludes Irianese from SPF

Nauru excludes Irianese from SPF

SYDNEY, Australia (DPA): Nauru, host nation for this year's
Pacific Islands Forum gathering, on Wednesday threatened the
solidarity of the 16-nation grouping by declaring it would refuse
visas to independence-movement activists from Indonesian-ruled
Irian Jaya who want to attend.

Representatives from the ethnically Melanesian Indonesian
province, also known as West Papua, attended last year's meeting
in the Cook Islands to press their claims.

Nauruan President Rene Harris said in a statement that "there
are clear and bitter divisions between the West Papuans and this
has the potential to spill out into the forum."

In the Cook Islands, the Irianese managed to parlay sympathy
for their cause into a supportive resolution.

At the Nauru meeting Indonesia is for the first time to join
Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and other members as a
"dialog partner".

Harris has also censured Australian Prime Minister John Howard
for snubbing the Nauru meet.

Howard is again opting to miss the annual meeting, leaving New
Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark the only rich country
representative when the forum convenes next week.

Harris regretted the fact that Howard will have missed three
of the six leaders' meetings since he took office.

"There are a number of issues that the smaller island states
wished to discuss with Prime Minister Howard," Harris said.

Chief among those issues was Australia's refusal to join other
countries in tackling the issue of global warming through the
Kyoto Protocol process.

Said Harris, "While this is an issue that may be directed in
industrial states by the strong industrial lobby, it's an issue
that will destroy many island nations who are threatened by
rising sea levels".

Australia will be represented at the Aug. 16 Nauru gathering
by Defense Minister Peter Reith.

In the Cook Islands, Howard upset his counterparts by
demanding the adoption of Australia's position in opposing
legally binding greenhouse gas emission targets.

The island states had pleaded with him to relent on climate
change issues due to the particular dangers of rising sea levels
to South Pacific nations.

But Howard was unapologetic about using Australia's veto,
saying he "could not accept mandatory targets, particularly
mandatory uniform targets that were legally binding".