The Heniara Peace Accord

Extracts

from t h e Honiara peace accord, signed after talks on June

28 at the Forum Fisheries Agency in Honiara. Commonwealth Special Envoy Sitiveni Rabuka presided over the deal.

We, the participants, hereby: 1) Resolve to eschew violence as a means of resolving the crisis and cooperate with the Commonwealth Special Envoy in his efforts to find a lasting solution. 2) Observe that since 1978 the issues which repeatedly appeared in the demands of Guadalcanal and which has been at the root of the current cri sis are: (i) Demand for a return of alienate lands belonging to the people of Guadalcanal in the process of develop ing Honiara as the National Capital and those alleged to have been acquired illegally by migrating Malai tans who form the largest group of workers employed by the government and private sectors in Honiara. (ii) Demand for Compensation for

the murders of Guadalcanal people by individual Malaitans and a desire to put an end to this. (iii) The demand that a state gov ernment be established in Guadalcanal and other provinces in order to achieve in Guadalcanal; control over sale and use of land; control over distribution of wealth derived from Guadalcanal province and control over migration of people form other provinces to Guadalcanal. (iv) Failure of successive Govern ments to respond satisfactorily to these demands led to the formation of a militant Guadalcanal group to press these demands by harassing Malaitans living and working in the National Capital, Honiara and the surroundings.

This has in recent times led to the enforced return of Malaitans; some of whom have spent all their lives in Guadalcanal, to their territory and has involved the loss of property and tremendous amount of discomfort.

(3) Recognize that Bartholomew Ulu fa’alu’s govern ment has attempt ed to deal with the crisis.

(4) Recognize that the above attempts could have constituted the starting point for a lasting solution.

The implementation of aspects of the memorandum of understanding in particular the payment of 2.5 million into a Reconciliation Trust Account to be held by the Guadalcanal province in recognition of the social costs being borne by the indigenous people of Guadalcanal as a result of the capital being located in Honiara is a step in the right direction.

It is however observed that this action has not been sufficiently well communicated to all sections of the

Guadalcanal community in particular

the militants.

Effective steps to ensure that this is done should be taken immediately. * It was suggested that further action be taken to alleviate the handi cap suffered by the Guadalcanal peo ple as a result of the capital being located in the territory. ■