Prime Minister Sogavare also adds, three areas will be pursued.
“There are three areas we would like to look at. One of course is a membership than observer status and of course fact finding mission to West Papua. We acknowledge that the Forum will have a mechanism to do that so we will elevate that to the United Nations, so we will ask the United Nations to send a fact finding mission to West Papua.”
However, Fiji’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola says while Fiji’s position on West Papua is very clear, that they respect the territory integrity and sovereignty of Indonesia, Fiji will raiseits voice on human rights abuses against West Papuans.
“On West Papua our position is very clear, we’ve been saying that we respect the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Indonesia and we see West Papua as part of Indonesia, but as far as the human rights abuses Fiji will raise its voice here and at the UN, but I don’t know what’s coming up tomorrow at the retreat on West Papua.”
The Fiji Foreign Affairs Minister adds if the issues of West Papua is not addressed in this Leaders Forum Fiji will take West Papua’s human rights issues to the government of Indonesia.
“We take it up with Indonesia ourselves. The Vice Minister is here I’ll be meeting him soon and whenever we hear human rights abuses in West Papua we take it up with Indonesia because we have a good bilateral relationship with West Papua.”
