James Marape, second left, and Ishmael Toroama, right, during the joint moderations talks in Port Moresby on Monday. 17 March 2025 Photo: Autonomous Bougainville Government
The parties involved in talks aimed at resolving an impasse over Bougainville's push for independence are planning to meet several more times before a deadline in June.
The leaders of Papua New Guinea and Bougainville have been meeting all week in Port Moresby, with former New Zealand Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae serving as moderator.
The question before them hinges on the conditions for tabling the results of the 2019 Bougainville referendum in the PNG parliament, in which there was overwhelming support for independence.
PNG wants an absolute majority of MPs to agree to the tabling, while Bougainville says it should be a simple majority.
Bougainville says changes to the PNG Constitution would come later, and that is when an absolute majority is appropriate.
Bougainville's President Ishmael Toroama has suggested a solution could be reached outside of parliament, but PNG Prime Minister, James Marape has questioned the readiness of Bougainville to run itself, given there are still guns in the community and the local economy is miniscule.
Sir Jerry Mataparae. 17 March 2025 Photo: Supplied
Sources at the talks say that, with the parties having now stated their positions, several more meetings are planned where decisions will be reached on the way forward.
One of those meetings is expected to take place at Burnham, New Zealand.
It was preliminary talks at Burnham in 1997 that led to the end of the bloody ten-year-long civil war in Bougainville.
Bougainville is holding elections in September, and the writs are being issued in June, hence the desire that the
process to determine its political future is in place by then.
Last week, Bougainville leaders declared they wanted independence in place by 1st September 2027.
