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".