'Australia, PNG threaten Bougainville peace'
General Sam Kauona, commander of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army, has warned Australia, Tonga, Fiji and Vanuatu about rushing into a status of forces agreement with Papua New Guinea.
Speaking on September 15 from the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara, where he has been involved in peace negotiations with the PNG government, Kauona expressed deep dissatisfaction with the arrangements being made by PNG for a regional peacekeeping force on Bougainville.
"The situation on the ground is very sensitive", said Kauona. "In our agreement with PNG there was to be close consultation by both sides with the South Pacific Regional Peacekeeping Force. This has not been taking place ... Without clear understanding between the people on the ground and the peacekeeping force, there will be mistrust, and this could result in bloodshed."
Kauona stressed that the peacekeeping force and negotiations were not a PNG initiative. These matters were decided by Bougainvilleans in Honiara in 1991, with the involvement of the Solomon Islands and the UN, he said.
"We have clearly stated that a peacekeeping force under a purely PNG mandate is not acceptable or constructive to the situation. We have insisted on a UN mandate right from the start. Under the current arrangements being made by PNG, any force entering Bougainville must be viewed as hostile."
He warned that the 60 day cease-fire could be jeopardised by PNG forces trying to reassert command over a situation that they "have already lost control of through their insensitive approaches to the problem over the past six years".
"The BRA is also very concerned about the growing involvement of Australia in the situation, especially regarding the border issue. The border is to be monitored by a third party. We do not consider Australia as a third party in this dispute; they are primary.
"We would like to welcome the peacekeeping forces, but this cannot be done if we have not met with them and agreed on the parameters of their task. A cease-fire is a very delicate military state of affairs and relies completely on good faith and consultation. PNG and Australia are threatening the balance", concluded Kauona.