Militants clear one hurdle for mine to reopenBREAK through? That...

Militants clear one hurdle for mine to reopen

BREAK through? That is what the reaction is in relation to a meeting on Monday this week in Panguna between militant hardliners in Bougainville and a delegation of heads of Government departments from PNG that visited the closed mine at the weekend.
The delegation also met with members of the breakaway self-styled Bougainville Government, Me?ekamui and its militants who say they have kept watch over the closed world class copper mine in Panguna since operator Bougainville Copper Limited mothballed and eventually closed the mine at the height of the bloody Bougainville crisis in 1989.
The Government delegation led by Bougainville Affairs Minister and Bougainville Regional MP Fidelis Semoso met Me?ekamui rebel hardliner Moses Pipiro and president of the Me?ekamui Government Philip Takaung and chiefs of Panguna.
Pipiro and Takaung, in the meeting apparently gave their blessing for the reopening of the Panguna mine but set some conditions on this happening. They want reconciliation to be carried out among all groups in Panguna, to be involved in mining negotiations and K10 billion in compensation for the Panguna people.
It is encouraging that one more hardline group has given its seal of approval for mining to reopen in Bougainville. The Panguna landowners have given their approval. In a series of meetings last month, the landowners recognised the need for mining to resume in Panguna as it?s the only means forward for Bougainville.
Since autonomy over five years ago, the region has hardly moved forward in development and the rebuilding of infrastructure needed to nurture economic activity that will promote growth and eventually economic independence.

Autonomous Bougainville Government President John Momis has taken a number of overseas trips to woo investors from overseas to Bougainville or at least seek and set up partnerships to bring in much needed money to try and propel the region forward. Two weeks ago he was in Australia on a trip sponsored by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
He held discussions on a number of issues with the Australian Government, especially with the Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and the Secretary for Pacific Affairs to brief them on the challenges, the financial challenges, the administrative challenges and the challenges of creating a culture of ?democratisation? in Bougainville and the challenges of empowering the people economically. The trip was for him to garner support and appeal for more Australian help in Bougainville.
He also held talks with BCL. Like the landowners, BCL is agreeable to mining being reopened on Bougainville. BCL which operated and owns the mining licence for the closed Panguna Copper is open to discussions on reopening the mine and is open minded about the future.
BCL chairman Peter Taylor says a lot depends on the permit because it was as good as starting again.
He expects there will be a new regime and it will be administered by the Bougainville government rather than the National Government
He expects a feasibility study, that is acceptable to lenders, has to be carried out. This usually takes about a year and is a expensive process. New royalty schemes have to be negotiated and while BCL supports reopening of the mine, it is not committed to saying when this will happen with Taylor giving a time frame of three to five years.
But all that aside ? it is looking good on the ground ? everyone is talking the same language