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TAPOL protests at EU mission's failure to meet PDP leadership

22 March 2002

TAPOL has today written to the Foreign Office protesting at the failure of the ambassadorial mission of the EU to meet leaders of the Papuan Presidium Council.

This follows leaked information from Jayapura last week that the governor of Papua, Joop Salossa, had been instructed to prevent the EU ambassadors from meeting the PDP because such a meeting might reflect negatively of the recently introduced special autonomy for Papua.

TAPOL was informed that a letter was sent to the PDP by the Spanish embassy in Jakarta, on behalf of the European Union, as holders of the EU presidency, saying that such a meeting could not take place.

In its letter to Ben Bradshaw, minister at the British Foreign Office, TAPOL said:

'It seems to us outrageous that efforts were made to prevent the ambassadors from meeting the PDP leadership and that the EU chose to comply with such pressure. There can be no justification whatever for the EU ambassadors not to meet the PDP leadership, bearing in mind that this organisation is widely representative of opinion in West Papua whose views on all matters, including the question of special autonomy, should be heard by the EU. The failure of the ambassadors to meet the PDP leadership undermines the very legitimacy of the mission.'

TAPOL called on the British Government to ensure ensure that the EU makes every effort to consult the PDP leadership on all matters related to the present situation in West Papua, including their views on Papuas current special autonomy status.

ENDS