McKinnon to Witness Historic Ceasefire Signing Today

Foreign and Trade Minister, Don McKinnon, arrived in Bougainville this morning to witness the signing of an historic ceasefire agreement marking the end of nine years of bloody conflict on the Island.

Mr McKinnon arrived at Aropa airfield around 10am (NZT) and is travelling to Arawa, Central Bougainville, where the signing ceremony takes place later this afternoon.

A number of senior ministers - led by Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Bill Skate - along with dignitaries, officials and Foreign Minsters from around the region will be at the ceremony.

It is anticipated that thousands of local Bougainvilleans will travel to Arawa for the event - which to date is the most significant milestone in the peace process.

For the last nine months New Zealand has played a key role in bringing peace to Bougainville. In July last year, NZ successfully brokered talks between rebel factions (Burnham I) at Burnham Military Camp. New Zealand hosted talks between Bougainville and PNG (Burnham II) in October 1997 which led to the Burnham Truce, where all parties agreed to immediately cease armed conflict. From November 1997 New Zealand led a regional Truce Monitoring Group on Bougainville.

In January 1998, the leaders of all parties involved in the conflict, including PNG Prime Minister, Bill Skate, were hosted in New Zealand at Lincoln University. They signed the Lincoln Agreement, resulting in a permanent and irrevocable ceasefire coming into effect on the Island from midnight 30 April 1998.

It is estimated that up to 20,000 Bougainvilleans have died as a result of the conflict.