The PNG government agreed to a Bougainville request for a moderator to be brought in to solve an impasse over the tabling of the region's independence referendum. Photo: 123RF / RNZ Pacific
Key decisions were reached last week at a pivotal meeting of the Joint Supervisory Body (JSB), which oversees Papua New Guinea's role in the management of the autonomous Bougainville region.
At the meeting, PNG Prime Minister James Marape and the Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama re-affirmed their joint commitment to the Bougainville Peace Agreement and to the Melanesian spirit of consensus.
They agreed to ensure "a peaceful process is followed through as both governments prepare to walk through the final leg of its political journey."
The PNG government agreed to a Bougainville request for a moderator to be brought in to solve an impasse over the tabling of the region's independence referendum.
Bougainville has been seeking what it calls "a working moderator" to resolve a dispute over how their referendum on independence would be tabled in the National Parliament.
Port Moresby says an absolute majority of the 118 MPs would need to support the tabling, but Bougainville's Minister for Implementation of Independence, Ezekiel Masatt, said it should be a simple parliamentary majority.
"The area of impasse was specifically on the voting majority threshold. There is also an issue of the joint consultative report that needs to go into the parliament," he said
Masatt said officials are now working on the terms of reference and isolating the names of potential candidates.
He said it will mean a further delay in the tabling, with no chance the moderator can be appointed and complete his or her work in time for the next sitting of the PNG Parliament, starting later this month.
The JSB meeting also made progress on fisheries revenue issues that have bothered Bougainville for many years, along with matters relating to delays in finance due to be paid to Buka by Port Moresby.
There is also a commitment that the outstanding shares in Bougainville Copper Ltd, which the PNG government agreed four years ago to transfer to Bougainville, will now be handled over at the end of this month.