By Fabian Hakalits – EM TV News, Port Moresby
Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, has directed the new Bougainville Affairs Minister, Joe Lera, to facilitate the Joint Supervisory Body Meeting, which has been deferred twice since December last year.
This is the new Minister’s first task, and priority, to which the Prime Minster wants a date set on this important meeting between the National and Autonomous Bougainville Government.
The Prime Minster said that more dialogue between both parties are vital and crucial, to discuss the way forward for Bougainville’s referendum. And the Joint Supervisory Body Meeting is the avenue, where issues seeking solutions are discussed.
“We have already discussed with the new Minister and his first task and priority is to set a date. We look forward to hosting it in Port Moresby because of logistic issues,”
Bougainville Affairs Minister, Joe Lera, told EMTV News, he will work closely with the National Coordination Office of the Bougainville Affairs, to ensure expectations are delivered concerning Bougainville matters.
“It will happen just before the next sitting of Parliament, which is on May 31,”
NCOMBA Director, John Avira, said the JSB is a positive direction and is looking forward, to work with the new Bougainville Affairs Minister.
“They will have to come up with a date, specific, so we will start doing the administrative arrangement for it to convene,”
The Prime Minister’s direction comes after the JSB Meeting in Kokopo last year was deferred and again this year, after allegations of outstanding monies from the National Government.
