(file image) Photo: Bougainville Govt
The Papua New Guinea and autonomous Bougainville governments have agreed on a moderator to be brought to try and repair an impasse over the province's push for independence.
Bougainville has wanted a moderator after it perceived Port Moresby changing the rules on the tabling of the referendum on independence.
That 2019 non-binding vote, held across Bougainville, was more than 97 percent in favour of independence, and the autonomous Government has stipulated it wants the province to have achieved independence by 2027 at the latest, or ideally in 2025.
It wants the referendum to be tabled so MPs can then decide on its merits.
But now, with the moderator appointed, it will take some time to iron out the concerns on either side, before it goes to parliament.
The Bougainville Minister in charge of the independence quest, Ezekiel Masatt, has previously said that the province is prepared to act unilaterally, if Port Moresby fails to budge.
The moderator has not been named but it is possible it could happen in the current sitting of the national Parliament.