Jayapura, Jubi – Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, chairwoman of the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers, Meeting Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa, makes sure that West Papua will remain on the 48th PIF Leaders Forum this year in Samoa.
She said, as quoted by fijitimes.com, Sunday (August 13) that West Papua agenda will remain on the table. While there were concerns from the region of human rights abuses, it remained equally important that there was continued dialogue with Indonesia on the issue.
The 48th PIF Leaders Meeting will take place from 4-8 September 2017, in Apia, Samoa.
The gathering will include the Smaller Islands States Leaders Meeting (on September 4); the Pacific ACP Leaders Meeting (on September 5); the Official Opening of the 48th Pacific Islands Forum (on September 5); the Forum Leaders Dialogue with Civil Society Organizations and Private Sector (on September 6); the 48th PIF Plenary Sessions with Associate Member and Forum Observers and Post Forum Dialogue Partners (on September 7); and the Forum Leaders Retreat (on September 8).
From its official site information, in order to prepare the 48th Forum Leaders Meeting, the Forum Officials Committee Meeting, the governing council of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, meet in Suva on 8 and 9 August preceded by the Smaller Island States Officials Meeting and the Pacific ACP Officials Meeting on 7 August, 2017, and a meeting of the Forum Foreign Ministers on 11 August 2017 in Suva.
On the 47th PIF Leaders Froum in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia September 8-10 2016, the forum communiqué on West Papua stated that, “Leaders recognized the political sensitivities of the issue of West Papua (Papua) and agreed the issue of alleged human rights violations in West Papua (Papua) should remain on their agenda. Leaders also agreed on the importance of an open and constructive dialogue with Indonesia on the issue.”(*)
Reporter : Zely Ariane
