Port Moresby, 2/7 (Jubi) – The Government of Vanuatu will continue raising the issue on West Papua to the UN.
After the meeting of Melanesia Spearhead Group (MSG) leaders at Port Moresby on last 26 June, the Vanuatu Prime Minister Vanuatu Joe Natuman reconfirmed the commitment to raise the issue on West Papua liberation. Natuman said the Government of Vanuatu continues to seek the opportunity to raise the West Papua issue to the UN level.
Towards the reporters, Natuman told the Government of Vanuatu is considering to propose the International Court’s opinion. “We consider seeking an opinion on the legal process held by the UN when handed over West Papua to Indonesia,” Natuman said in Port Villa, Vanuatu (30/6).
Earlier, the Vanuatu Prime Minister has been said the similar statement in Port Moresby.
“This process (to the UN) is still open for us. But now we have to deal with such a problem like this. We talked with Indonesia, held a dialogue with Indonesia and all Melanesian representatives about tendencies, in particular the political tendency in provinces of Papua and Papua Barat,” said Natuman in Port Moresby on 27 June.
Natuman also respected the MSG’s decision to seek more proactive approach with Indonesia to find a solution to deal with the development issues in Papua. Under the administration of Prime Minister Moana Kalosil, Natuman was the representative of Vanuatu in the MSG mission to West Papua, but then Vanuatu withdrew its participation in the mission.
Since becoming the independent state, Vanuatu has shown its commitment towards West Papua’s issue. Some former prime ministers of Vanuatu including Walter Lini and Barack Sope were actively raising the West Papua issue to the UN and then Moana Kalosil and Natuman continued to support. Even Kalosil pointed the MSG countries has denied Papuans as part of Melanesian entity.
“Vanuatu is the only country in the world who is not fear to stand up and speak for the liberation rights of Papuans whether in the United Nation or in other world’s forum,” Moana Karkas Kalosis said in his speech in front of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in last March. (Jubi/Victor Mambor/rom)
