22 Jul 2020

Start preparing for independence negotiations

From , 6:01 am on 22 July 2020

When Bougainville leaders sit down with their Papua New Guinea counterparts to discuss independence what will they talk about?

Those talks are set to formally begin after the election is resolved, expected by mid-September, and the Bougainville Government has previously said they are aiming to have a document to present to the PNG parliament for ratification  by September 2021.

Academic and former advisor to the Bougainville Government, Dr Gordon Peake, says they need to resolve the what, who, how, when - laying the groundwork for what will be long and complex negotiations.

Dr Peake, who is with the Australian National University's School of Regulation and Global Governance, told Don Wiseman  little preparatory work to this point.

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Photo: The Bougainvillean