As my predecessor has stated on many occasions, the question of a review of the Act of FreeChoice in Papua would require the support of UN member states. Inquiries made by our permanent representative to the UN confirm that, at present, there is no significant support for such an initiative. The most productive approach to dealing with the situation of the people of Papua is therefore through contact with the Government of Indonesia. There is, moreover, a possibility that pursuing the issue of the Act of Free Choice would prejudice ongoing efforts to develop a meaningful dialogue with the Government in Jakarta, and would not contribute to the amelioration of the current situation of the Papuan people.
While acknowledging Indonesia's legitimate concern to preserve its territorial integrity, we continue to encourage the Government of Indonesia to strengthen its efforts to address the legitimate aspirations of the people of Papua. In this regard, I welcome the commitment expressed by President elect Yudhoyono of Indonesia to implement the special autonomy law for Papua. This law dates from November 2001 but has not yet been implemented. It provides for a greater degree of autonomy for Papua than for Indonesia's other provinces.
At my predecessor's request, he met my Indonesian counterpart, Mr. Noor Hassan Wirajuda, in the margins of the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2004. My predecessor used the occasion to express Ireland's continuing concerns about the situation in Papua. These concerns had previously been raised with Minister Wirajuda when my predecessor met him in April 2004, during an EU troika meeting, and again in January 2003, in the margins of the EU-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting. Minister Wirajuda took note of our concerns and expressed his belief that the special autonomy law will satisfy the aspirations of the overwhelming majority of the people in Papua. He said autonomy remains the settled policy of the Government of Indonesia and that the strengthened democracy in Indonesia, following successful presidential and legislative elections, would increase autonomy. My predecessor made it clear that we would be carefully monitoring the situation in this regard.
Inquiries were also made at that meeting as to the status of the proposal to divide Papua into three provinces. A discussion of Indonesia is planned for the October meeting of the EU External Relations Council. Officials of my Department regularly discuss the situation in Papua with their counterparts from Indonesia, representatives of various Papuan NGOs, as well as from third countries, such as Australia and the United States.
Ireland, together with its EU partners, will continue to support the development of a strengthened partnership and effective dialogue between the EU and Indonesia. As I have said, the Government sees this as the most effective framework at this time for addressing our concerns about the situation in Papua.