Fiji backs West Papua to join Melanesian Spearhead Group
In meetings with activist Octavianus Mote yesterday, Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola and Opposition Leader Ro Teimumu Kepa showed willingness to support West Papua's bid.
"I am very pleased with the reception to the visit and look forward to further talks with our Fijian friends in March," Mote said.
"The CSO community and the Methodist Church in Fiji have been very gracious in offering to write to the MSG Secretariat in support of our request for membership."
The MSG will meet in March to discuss an application from the new joint West Papua Liberation movement formed in December 2014.
Mote's meetings with stakeholders in Fiji were facilitated by the Pacific Conference of Churches Secretariat.
Mote indicated that support for the application was clear from Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
"We are quite certain that PNG will support us as they were behind the move for the West Papua opposition parties to unify before applying for MSG membership," Mote said.
"And Fiji in 2013 had told us that we should apply for full membership of the MSG so we hope they will support our application."
Mote returned to the United States today.
The former journalist fled Indonesia in 1999 and lives in exile in the US.
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