2) 48th Pacific Islands Forum leaders summit opens in Samoa
3) Negotiations with Freeport took place over two-and-a-half years: Jokowi
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1) West Papuan Liberation Movement dismisses Jakarta dialogue
5:50 am today
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua says it's not interested in one-on-one dialogue with Indonesia's government.
Various Papuan civil society, church and customary leaders met with Indonesia's president Joko Widodo last month about establishing dialogue over problems in Papua.
The Jakarta meeting agreed on the Catholic priest, Neles Tebay taking on a mediator role.
However so far the Liberation Movement has not been included in the dialogue process.
Its secretary-general Octo Mote said Jakarta's offer of dialogue appeared to be timed for good publicity ahead of meetings of the Pacific Islands Forum leaders and the UN General Assembly.
"It's too late. The world knows that we tried for the negotiations with Indonesia for years. We are only interested when internationally-mediated negotiation (happens), not dialogue. Internationally-mediated negotiation."
Terms of reference for the dialogue have not been confirmed yet, but those at last month's meeting indicated President Widodo wanted to advance talks about economic and social development in Papua.
Jakarta overture to Papua questioned
Although the Papuans at the Jakarta meeting had been pressing for dialogue on issues of human rights abuses in Papua among other problems, the term "sectoral" has been used to describe the matters up for discussion.
According to Mr Mote, it is unclear what the Indonesian goal of dialogue about "sectoral" matters refers to.
He said the Liberation Movement's mandate as a representative body for West Papuans was to campaign for independence, and that this would not change.
"We don't pay attention to any dialogue (between Jakarta and Papuans). Our focus is getting the members of the countries at the UN to put West Papua back on the UN agenda," Mr Mote explained.
"So if Indonesian government wants to do dialogue about development issues, just go ahead. They can do it.”
Thousands sign petition message in support of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua movement in the Pacific and at the UN. Photo: Supplied
The Liberation Movement is recognised by the Melanesian Spearhead Group which is an international collective whose full members are Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu and New Caledonia's FLNKS Kanaks movement.
Mr Mote said that in accepting the Liberation Movement and granting it observer status, the MSG had taken up a role as a vehicle for the West Papua self-determination and human rights issues to be addressed at the international level.
"So they created a forum where this kind of communication can be taking place," he said.
However, according to Mr Mote, Indonesia has rebuffed efforts by the MSG chairman Manasseh Sogavare of Solomon Islands to confront the Papuans' core grievances.
"That means Indonesia closed this kind of communication," said the Liberation Movement secretary-general who is currently in Samoa to attend the Pacific Islands Forum annual summit.
The government of Indonesia, which has associate member status in the MSG, said it was working hard to improve living conditions in Papua region through economic development.
Indonesia said the incorporation of Papua into the republic was final, and its security forces take a firm line in disallowing expressions of Papuan independence aspirations.
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2) 48th Pacific Islands Forum leaders summit opens in Samoa
5:39 am today
The 48th Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting opened in Apia last evening with a traditional Ava ceremony at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum.
The ava ceremony to welcome Pacific Forum leaders to Samoa. Photo: Tipi Autagavaia
The President of the Federated States of Micronesia Peter Christian passed on the baton to coming chair, Samoa Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi.
Tuila'epa called on the leaders and member countries to stand together and implement decisions the leaders endorse at this year's summit.
He also called for support of Fiji's co-presidency of the COP 23, the annual round of the ongoing UN climate negotiations later this year in Germany.
Tuila'epa gave an example of what can be achieved when member nations are united.
In 2015, we were instrumental in concluding one of the toughest ever global negotiations on the Paris agreement, collectively, we as Pacific leaders successfully persuaded the whole World to see climate change through the lens of small island communities most vulnerable to climate change impact," he said.
Tuila'epa also paid tribute to the Pacific's giant warrior of climate change Tony de Brum, who passed away last month.
The Forum chair then highlighted a number of important issues the leaders will discuss in the next three days of the summit.
This includes Climate change, fisheries, the Pacific Pacer plus trade agreement and the financing of the Forum Secretariat head office in Suva.
The first item of the agenda of the annual summit, which starts today is the meeting with representatives of Civil Society Organisations in the Pacific.
It's the first time ever at an annual meeting that Civil Society groups will present to leaders issues of major concerns.
Tuila'epa also has thanked the outgoing chair the President of Federated States of Micronesia Peter Christian for his contribution and commitment in the last 12 months of chairmanship of the Forum.
PIFL at opening summit in Samoa. Photo: Tipi Autagavaia
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3) Negotiations with Freeport took place over two-and-a-half years: Jokowi
Jakarta | Tue, September 5, 2017 | 06:32 pm
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said negotiations between the government and Freeport McMoran had taken place over the last two-and-a-half years before the company finally agreed to allow local companies to own up to 51 percent of its shares, Freeport Indonesia.
“Negotiations were tough and contrary to what people think did not take place over nine months. If we did not persist, we would have only gotten 9 percent,” Jokowi told his supporters in Jakarta on Monday as reported bytribunnews.com.
The divestment agreement with Freeport Indonesia was announced by Freeport McMoran CEO Richard Adkerson on Aug. 29.
Read also: Freeport still in charge of Grasberg mine after divestment
The company also agreed to convert its contract of work (CoW) to a special mining permit (IUPK), build a smelter within the next five years and increase its contribution to state revenue from its Grasberg mine in Papua.
The government agreed to extend Freeport’s operational contract, which would have expired in 2021, to 2041.
In addition to Freeport’s divestment, Jokowi also talked about the takeover of several oil and gas blocks by the government. He gave an example that the government had taken over 100 percent of the Mahakam oil and gas block, which was initially controlled by two foreign companies.
He said the block was now controlled by state-owned energy giant Pertamina. “Is Pertamina ready to manage the block? If not, Pertamina is allowed to seek a partner, but the majority of the shares should remain ours,” he added. (bbn)
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