Rebel leader joins Bougainville peace talks

Papua New Guinea's government has agreed to a referendum on Bougainville's independence

By CNN's Nic Hopkins

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea -- Peace talks between Bougainville separatists and the Papua New Guinea government have been boosted by the arrival of a key supporter of rebel leader Francis Ona.

Damien Damen, considered one of the fathers of the Bougainville rebel movement and a long-time supporter of Ona, arrived in Port Moresby Wednesday to assist the final stages of the peace talks.

It is the first time anyone linked with Ona's more extremist constituent of Bougainville's rebels has joined the coalition of separatist leaders in the peace process.

Damen has been fighting for Bougainville independence for more than three decades, and was influential in Ona's rise to lead the island's rebel movement.

But analysts say his arrival in Port Moresby significantly undermines Ona's support base, and adds great momentum to the peace talks.

"This is extremely good news," said one source involved in the negotiations.

"Damen split from Ona some time ago because he didn't support violence. He now supports this process because it is working towards the resolution he has long sought, but in a peaceful way."

'No better way'

Damen is reported to have said on his arrival in Port Moresby that there is no better way to achieve the independence for Bougainville residents that he has pursued for so long.

Earlier this year, the protracted negotiations between PNG's government and Bougainville's separatist leaders saw the sanctioning of an autonomous government for Bougainville.

The move will require an amendment to PNG's 1975 founding constitution and approval by PNG's parliament.

The talks also have resulted in an agreement on the disposal of weapons held by secessionist rebels and plans for referendum to be held within 15 years to decide on the island's independence.

Guerillas of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army have been fighting for independence for more than 10 years

Fierce fighting broke out on Bougainville in 1989 after local landowners rebelled over objections to the giant Panguna copper mine, which is in the center of both Damen and Ona's power base.

The mine, now destroyed, once contributed a large part of PNG's gross domestic product. It remains in the hands of Ona's rebels and is a no-go area for the hundreds of Peace Monitoring Group personnel, including 240 Australians.

Hostility also boiled over between various factions in the rebel movement as they argued over the island's territories and its secession plans.

The internicine fighting had a devastating impact on Bougainville, which is 800 kilometers (500 miles) northeast of Port Moresby, with thousand of Bougainvilleans dying in the violence, or as a result of disease and starvation.

Ona stands alone

The elusive Ona and his supporters made a declaration of independence in 1990 and maintain that there is no need for peace negotiations, arguing that they should fight until the PNG government recognizes the island's independence.

But several other separatist leaders pushed ahead with negotiations with the PNG government after a ceasefire was declared in 1998.

Since, the key stumbling block had been whether or not to hold a referendum on independence.

With that hurdle now out of the way, the negotiations are focused on working out the third element of an agreement on how much autonomy will be granted to Bougainville leading up to the referendum.

"The final stage is looking at how Bougainville will be financed, how much autonomy it will have, whether it will have its own public service and police force and how much control it will have over its finances," says the source.