Nurfika Osman – Continued dialogues between religious and tribal leaders from Papua and Jakarta are necessary to bring about a mutual understanding that would lead to peace in the restive province, religious leaders said on Thursday.

"This kind of dialogue is needed as religious leaders do not understand the issues faced by Papuan tribes and vice versa," Ridwan Lubis, a representative of the Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Islamic body, told an inter-religion meeting on Papua.

He said that unity among all religions and ethnic groups in the nation could be achieved with continued dialogues. "Women empowerment, education and agricultural issues that could help develop Papua should be brought into the talks and the findings spread to all Papuans," he said.

Neles Tebay, the Roman Catholic vice bishop of Jayapura, said that Papuans had long focused on their own problems but that no other parties had offered assistance.

"We [Papuans] want all citizens in the country to know what we feel and the problems we are facing," Neles said. "We want to feel that we are not alone in facing the continued conflicts," he said.

Papua has seen a low-level armed separatist guerilla movement since the 1960s but perceived injustices and alleged widespread abuses by security forces in their efforts to quash the rebellion have further heightened pro-independence sentiments in this easternmost province.

Father Dani Sanusi from the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI) said that if the dialogues were conducted regularly, solidarity between Jakarta and Papua would be achieved.

"Solidarity will resolve continued conflict in the province," Dani said. "And a peaceful Papua will become a reality and there will be no more victims."

To achieve solidarity, NU's Lubis said that various efforts should be made, including improving access to education to help Papuans develop their own region.

"Poverty and regression can hinder solidarity in Papuan society and if this continues to happen, conflict will remain in the region," he said

Lubis also said that vocational education was vital to Papua as specific skills were needed to develop the resource-rich land.

Sanusi said that Papuans themselves were relentless in their efforts to bring peace to Papua. "We have and will always struggle until plurality, equality, solidarity, harmony and brotherhood are achieved in Papua," he said.

The meeting was held in a bid to explore ways to promote a better mutual understanding between Papua and the rest of the country as part of efforts to rid the province of its longstanding conflicts.