B’ville honours peace treaty

people of Bougainville celebrated the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Bougainville peace agreement (BPA) last week.
The agreement was signed in Arawa on Aug 30, 2001.
The event was attended last Tuesday by Autonomous Region of Bougainville President John Momis, members of the Bougainville House of Representatives and officials of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the United Nations.
Factional leaders of Bougainville, who were signatories to the agreement, attended.
Bougainville Affairs Minister Joe Lera acknowledged the former leaders of both governments for their wisdom and understanding in reaching the agreement.
Lera said it was a catalyst seen by both governments as the road map to restore normalcy, peace and good order in Bougainville.
“The BPA, through the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders concerned, has achieved a lot of positive results and changes over the last 15 years,” Lera said.