THE Government is moving ahead with a review of the Bougainville Copper Agreement. And for the first time, the Sir Michael Somare-led government is pushing for the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and the landowners to be included in the review. Mining Minister Sam Akoitai said yesterday that Dr Graeme Hancock had been appointed by the National Executive Council to facilitate the review. Dr Hancock is the project director with the World Bank loan technical assistance project with the Department of Mining. Mr Akoitai said notice had been sent out to all stakeholders, including the ABG and Rio Tinto, through whom the Bougainville Copper Limited owns the Panguna mine. He said the Government had also agreed to include the ABG and the landowners. “The agreement is between the National Government and Rio Tinto but we have agreed to include the two parties because mining on Bougainville is still a sensitive issue at the moment,” Mr Akoitai said. “During the review we can not talk about starting the Panguna mine.” The people of Bougainville will be called upon later to decide whether they want the mine reopened or want mining on Bougainville at all. Meanwhile, Mr Akoitai, who is also the Central Bougainville MP, has expressed concern over the establishment of a gold refinery in his electorate of Arawa. He said the ABG had invited Canadian company Invincible Mining to construct a refinery without letting him know. The refinery would refine alluvial gold but under a trust deed signed between the company and the ABG, it would have access to most of the data on prospects on Bougainville. “I still have the mining powers on Bougainville until such time Bougainville comes up with mining policies for the region,” Mr Akoitai said. “And I am very concerned that proper procedures followed in the mining industry were not followed and the company is now putting up the refinery.” He said government agencies such as the Water Board and the Department of Environment ad Conservation were not consulted and the refinery posed a serious threat to the residential areas in Arawa. Mr Akoitai said he would be in Bougainville this week to meet with members of the ABG, including President Joseph Kabui to discuss the refinery
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