Solomon Islands Government says it hasn’t made a decision yet on the West Papua bid for membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).
Foreign Minister, Milner Tozaka, said the MSG will make a united stand of the question of West Papua’s bid for membership.
He will be taking over as chair of the MSG at its forthcoming meeting in Honiara.
Mr Tozaka said, this is a process Solomon Islands has to follow, adding it can’t just make decisions on an ad hoc basis.
And he pointed out, the Democratic Coalition for Change Government has decided to maintain the last government’s position to go along with a united MSG stand.
”If there is going to be any variation the MSG will need to talk about it in the forthcoming meeting.”
While the Fiji Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, recently said that any dealings with West Papua needed to go through Indonesia, whose sovereignty over the provinces should be respected, other leaders have been less forthright.
At last year’s meeting the MSG knocked back an application from West Papua.
