Australia Won't Intervene In PNG Political Crisis -Foreign Minister
May 25 2012 - 12:35AM
Dow Jones News
Australia won't intervene in a political crisis unfolding in
Papua New Guinea, foreign minister Bob Carr said Friday.
Armed police on Thursday arrested Papua New Guinea's chief
justice and attempted to charge him with sedition after he ruled
that Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's ascent to power was
unconstitutional.
The dramatic development brought to a head months of political
uncertainty that threaten to damage the gas-rich nation's
reputation as an investment destination.
"Our friendly advice is that nothing should happen that damages
the country's reputation with the world community, its reputation
with the community of democracies that is the Pacific Island
community, and its reputation with investors," Mr. Carr said in an
interview with The Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Carr urged lawmakers to focus on elections in June and avoid
a "sideshow" over the trial of chief justice Salamo Injia.
"The election settles legitimacy and authority as nothing else
does," Mr. Carr said.
The long-running political crisis began in August 2011 when Mr.
O'Neill took office after veteran leader Michael Somare was forced
to step aside as a lawmaker following a long absence from
Parliament due to illness. In December the Supreme Court said Mr.
Somare should be reinstated, and on Monday it ruled he should act
as caretaker prime minister in the lead-up to the election.
Mr. O'Neill and his supporters claim the judiciary is biased.
His deputy Belden Namah led armed police into the Supreme Court
Thursday, forcing the chief justice to flee to his chambers. He
remained holed up for several hours before being charged with
sedition late Thursday and released on bail and is due to appear in
court Friday.
Papua New Guinea's rich natural gas reserves make it an
attractive target for international energy companies like Exxon
Mobil Corp. and its Australian partner Oil Search Ltd. seeking to
develop projects that can export gas to booming Asian economies
such as China, along with traditional LNG users like Japan and
South Korea.
Papua New Guinea has an estimated 22.6 trillion cubic feet of
natural gas reserves, according to U.K.-based consultancy Wood
Mackenzie.
The politically volatile nation has struggled to distribute the
proceeds of its resource wealth among its 6.5 million residents,
however: around 85% of the population still derive a subsistence
living from farming in remote jungle villages.
-By Rachel Pannett, Dow Jones Newswires; 61-2-8272-4684; rachel.pannett@dowjones.com
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