Bougainville's President John Momis said the way to solve the Bougainville crisis is for his ABG government to get the controlling interest in Bougainville Copper Ltd.
Bougainville's Panguna copper mine Photo: Supplied
The mining giant Rio Tinto, which holds a controlling interest in BCL, which operated the huge Panguna mine, is walking away without paying any compensation for the damage caused by the mine which was the catalyst for the ten year long civil war.
Rio Tinto has offered its 53.4 percent share holding to the Bougainville and PNG governments.
But the way it has planned this distribution would leave Bougainville and the national government with equal shareholdings.
President of the autonomous Bougainville government, John Momis. Photo: RNZI
Mr Momis saids all of Rio Tinto's shares should go to the ABG.
We know if we what to make the best out of this, if we want to get a positive out of this disastrous situation that Rio Tinto has created by refusing to accept responsibility for the environmental damage, for the impoverishment of the people, by not accepting their responsibility to distribute benefits according to the best regimes of justice and sharing of benefits.