http://pidp.ewc.hawaii.edu/PIReport/1998/December/12-07-08.htm > PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT > > Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center > Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i at Manoa > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > AUSTRALIAN TROOPS TO STAY ON BOUGAINVILLE > > CANBERRA, Australia (December 4, 1998 - The National)---Australian > troops will remain on Bougainville until well into next year following > the Papua New Guinea Parliament's failure to pass legislation to set > up a reconciliation government there. > > The 240-strong Australian-led peacekeeping force costing up to A$ 4 > million (K 5.3 million) a month was due to wind up in March, after > already being extended from December. > > However, a failure by the Opposition to support the bills denied the > PNG Government the two-thirds majority it needed to approve the > legislation. > > Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia was disappointed by > the walkout, but would not abandon the peacekeeping force. > > "We don't want to be there in a peace monitoring group and financing a > peace monitoring group indefinitely, and the Papua New Guinean > Government and also the Bougainvillean leadership know that," he told > reporters. > > "We're not going to do it indefinitely, but we're not laying down any > particular timeframe at the moment." > > His New Zealand counterpart Don McKinnon, who met Mr. Downer in > Canberra yesterday for regular biannual talks, said the failure to > establish the reconciliation government did not signal a return to > civil war on the island. > > "This is a probably a classic case of expect the unexpected in Papua > New Guinea. We get a bit used to that," Mr. McKinnon told reporters. > > "It's not the end of the day. It's not the end of the cease-fire > agreement. > > "I am still satisfied they all actually want to see peace maintained > on the island." > > Mr. Downer said he would lobby both sides in PNG to reconvene > Parliament earlier, but he said the peace process appeared to have > been caught up in infighting between the Government and the > Opposition. > > "It is the Opposition on this occasion, which for reasons I expect are > totally unrelated to Bougainville, decided not to attend a vote on the > Bougainville Reconciliation Government," Mr. Downer said. > > "That's frankly unfortunate." > > For additional reports from The National, go to PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT > News/Information Links: Newspapers/The National (Papua New Guinea). ********************************************************************** This public article was forwarded by NOBBY <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. Mail subscriptions to me with subjects: "subscribe BougI-[x?]L" or "change to ..-[x?]L" <your_eMail-adr>. [BougI-xL] is the eXcerpt of [BougI-L]. =============================================== Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List As vilified, slandered and attacked by One Nation mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
