PNG settles with Bougainville rebels

Some Bougainville rebels still wear camouflage

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea -- Papua New Guinea and Bougainville island secessionist rebels have agreed to a settlement, granting the island autonomy and ultimately an independence vote.

The agreement ends a 12-year conflict.

Bougainville Minister Moi Avei said in a statement that the last obstacles had been overcome and that the PNG cabinet will vote on the deal within days.

Avei said a public signing of the political settlement would be conducted on Bougainville in July.

"The details of the agreement for Bougainville to have autonomy within the Papua New Guinea constitution have been agreed," Avei said.

"The Bougainville peace process is now at the most crucial turning-point since the conflict ended, with an agreed road-map for dealing with some of the most difficult and sensitive issues in the entire peace process," he said.

Death toll varies

The Bougainville rebellion, the longest running in the South Pacific, was sparked by landowner grievances against an Australian-operated copper mine in central Bougainville in 1988.

How many died on Bougainville remains unclear. Rebels say thousands died in fighting or from preventable illnesses caused by a lack of medicines during a four-year military blockade.

The government puts the figure in the hundreds.

Avei said the PNG government would now draft a Bougainville autonomy bill for parliament, which sits again in July, but he did not reveal a timeframe for autonomy for the jungle-clad island.

Australia, the former colonial power, said it welcomed the political settlement, praising the patience shown by leaders in the difficult negotiation, but warned much work remained.

Weapons disposal

"There will be a need for continued commitment and strong leadership by all parties, especially in the early implementation of plans for the disposal of weapons," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a statement.

Avei said the political settlement also set out an agreed weapons disposal plan and continued restoration and development of Bougainville.

Peace talks, begun in 1997, achieved a breakthrough in March 2001 when the government agreed to an independence referendum.

Earlier in June an agreement was reached which would see the defense force continue to operate on Bougainville, to ensure PNG's national security and assist in humanitarian emergencies, and the "joint development" of a police force.

"The ex-combatants who led the way on weapons disposal . . . have the opportunity of leading the way again by strengthening security, confidence and hope on the ground . . . by co-operating to put the guns away for good," Avei said.

Reuters contributed to this report.