McKinnon leaves for PNG and Bougainville

  • Don McKinnon
Foreign Affairs and Trade

The Bougainville Peace Process and drought relief will be at the top of the agenda when the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Don McKinnon meets with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, Bill Skate today in Port Moresby (Thursday).

Mr McKinnon left from Whenuapai air base for Papua New Guinea, early this morning, on a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules.

Mr McKinnon's meeting with Prime Minister Skate is the first appointment on his two day visit to Papua New Guinea and Bougainville. While in Port Moresby he will also meet with the Foreign Minister Roy Yaki.

"We will discuss ways in which New Zealand can continue to help PNG with drought relief as well as a range of issues concerning the Bougainville Peace Process and the impending meeting between leaders of the Papua New Guinea Government and Bougainville," Mr McKinnon said.

"We are all hopeful that the Bougainville peace process will take another step forward following the landmark leaders' meeting. As with the Burnham I and II talks New Zealand hosted last year, it is our role to continue to offer the groups the time, space and encouragement they need to resolve their differences."

It is expected that over 100 people from Bougainville and Papua New Guinea Governmnent representatives, along with senior political leaders around the South Pacific region, will attend the leaders meeting being held 15 to 23 January at Lincoln University.

On Friday Mr McKinnon travels to Bougainville where he will meet with Bougainville leaders and villagers. He will travel down the island by helicopter to the villages and townships of Buka, Arawa, Tonu, Buin and Loloho where he will visit members of the New Zealand-led Truce Monitoring Group.

There are currently 320 truce monitors from New Zealand, Australia, Vanuatu and Fiji on Bougainville to monitor the Burnham Truce. The Truce was the outcome of the Burnham II talks, held between officials from PNG and Bougainville in November last year.

Mr McKinnon is scheduled to depart Bougainville for New Zealand on Saturday morning and will arrive in Auckland later that evening.