KUALA LUMPUR: After weeks of tension in Indonesia's restive Papua, the area's leaders have praised President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's stance calling for dialogue over issues Papuan leaders want addressed. However, they have said they remain skeptical until the words are put into action. Taha al-Hamid, the secretary-general of the Papuan Council Presidium (PDP) called for the establishment of a team to facilitate a dialogue between the central government and Papua administrations. Neles Tebay, the chairman of the Papua Peace Network, argued for the need to appoint figures with credibility acclaimed by international peers and integrity trusted by Papuan people. “The team's members should not necessarily be those from government institutions, bureaucracy or the Papuan Consultative Assembly (MRP). They must be figures with credibility and integrity," Neles said in Jayapura on Saturday. The team is expected to draw up the format, aims and mechanisms of the dialogue. “The team will have to formulate what will be discussed in the dialogue. They must be proactive in efforts to represent aspiration from Papua and ensure Jakarta's commitment," Neles, who also serves as the rector of the Fajar Timur philosophy school in Abepura, said. During his visit to the Indonesian Military Command Institute in Bandung on Friday, President Yudhoyono said he would welcome any initiative for a dialogue except those that intended to push for a referendum on independence. “We can engage in dialogue to achieve progress on development, people's welfare and justice. But there is no room for discussion about an [independence] referendum or the like," he said in response to a question from a military cadet. The tension was heightened last month when a number of people were killed in a bombing in the country that police and security officials blamed on rebels in the breakaway state.
