Pacific diplomats ready for direct talks on Bougainville independence

Major Pacific diplomatic bodies, including the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), have signaled openness to dialogue with Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) as mediation begins over the stalled ratification of Bougainville’s 2019 independence referendum, reports said on March 20. The referendum, part of the UN-supervised Bougainville Peace...