Mitchell has the chance to practice what he preaches

FORMER US Senator George Mitchell was warmly welcomed back to Ireland when he addressed the RIA in Dublin late last year.

He said there was no conflict that could not be resolved. While I agree with this, I find it difficult to accept his contribution towards peace in Indonesian occupied West Papua. He leads an advisory panel for BP on the extraction of natural gas from two of West Papua’s most lucrative gas fields.

With such a panel, it seems that BP has gone some way towards preventing more of the human rights and ecological abuses that have left more than 100,000 Papuans dead Sadly, however, the gap between BP's corporate rhetoric and the harsh reality is large. BP have done little to bring peace and security to West Papua Such corporations, protected by the notorious Indonesian military, have violated the rights of Papuans through pollution of their land, forced relocation and support of the political status quo.

The best way George Mitchell, and indeed the Irish Government, can contribute is by calling on the UN to review its shameful role in the 1969 Act of Free Choice which illegally incorporated West Papua into Indonesia.

Ruairí MacThiarnáin,

9 Errigal,

Cootehill,

Co Cavan,