British government respects RI’s territorial integrity: UK ambassador

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Mon, May 06 2013, 7:19 PM

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The British Ambassador to Indonesia, Mark Canning, reiterated on Monday the position of the British government respecting the territorial integrity of Indonesia, and did not support calls for Papuan independence.
"We regard West Papua as being part of Indonesia. That has always been our view, and this recent development does nothing to change that," Canning said as quoted by Antara news agency.
He was summoned by Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa, on Monday, following the opening of a Free West Papua office in Oxford, on April 28.
“The minister conveyed to me in clear terms the strong concern of the Indonesian government on the opening of a Free West Papua office in Oxford,” said Canning after the meeting.
During the meeting, Canning explained to Marty that the British government recognized the sensitivity of the issue for Indonesia.
"We also support the efforts of the Presidential Delivery Unit [UKP4] who are addressing the problems of West Papua and hope to see it enjoy the same level of peace, stability and prosperity as the other parts of this nation. I made these points to Papua Governor Lukas Enembe when we met last week," said Canning.
“We believe that the Indonesian government is genuinely committed to addressing the problems in that region and hope that the efforts will bear fruit," he added.
The Indonesian government has asked its UK counterpart to be consistent in its policy of not supporting any actions related to the separatist movement in Papua and West Papua.
The office has been opened by the Free West Papua campaign, which is led by British-based Papuan exile Benny Wenda, with the support of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP) group. (asw/ebf)

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