decision soon

PNG Kokoda mine soon to be decided: Abal
15th February 2008, 18:13 WST

Papua New Guinea's foreign affairs minister says his government is close to making a decision on a mine development that may impinge on the historic Kokoda Track.

Foreign Minister Sam Abal returned to PNG after meetings in Canberra with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and counterpart ministers.

Abal said the main issue discussed was a copper and gold mine proposed by Australian company Frontiers Resources that would destroy more than 600 metres of the Kokoda Track.

For the last two weeks angry Kioari landowners have been demanding the renewal of a mining exploration licence in the area of the track, where Australian soldiers repelled advancing Japanese troops during World War II.

The Australian government is pushing for a World Heritage listing for the 96km track, which begins outside Port Moresby.

Abal said the mining company should avoid whipping up sentiment among the local people, suggesting its estimates of the mine's potential benefits could be premature.

"I think Frontiers Resources should not go around and incite people, it is a prerogative of the government of PNG," he said.

"I don't think they, Frontier Resources, have that sort of information to say they have a big mine there. It is not yet known, it is still early stages."

The company should also stop pressuring the government over the proposed development and await due process, Abal said.

"The government is almost ready to make a decision on it (Kokoda)," he said, adding the final decision would come down to Mining Minister and Deputy PM Puka Temu.

The decision had to be take account of world heritage, climate change issues related to the mine's environmental impact, economics and the local people's desires, he said.

The PNG foreign minister welcomed a new era of warmer relations between PNG and Australia, citing the importance of Mr Rudd's PNG visit scheduled for the first week of March.

"Whatever happens in the future it is a statement of strength by both PMs to get back together and the governments get down to business," he said.

He said his successful meetings in Canberra marked a change from the frosty bilateral relationship that prevailed between PNG and the Australian government led by former PM John Howard.

"There seemed to be no dialogue at all (during the Howard years). It came down to difficulties of actually treating PNG as a failed state," he said.

"Now since Bali (Climate Change Conference), the atmosphere melted away," he said.

Australia's Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts officials are currently in Port Moresby on a fact-finding mission to help resolve the Kokoda Track issue

AAP