Source:  The National

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has reassured Australian deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop that the general election will be held as scheduled in June.


Bishop is on an official visit to Papua New Guinea, accompanied by parliamentary colleagues from the Queensland state government. They are expected to visit Bougainville later.


O’Neill thanked AusAID and the Australian Defence Force for the administrative and logistical support they were providing on the election preparation.  
On the sovereign wealth fund, O’Neill said  parliament had passed legislation and that it was all encompassing to include management of returns from major resource projects in PNG and be accessible to consolidated revenue.
  On issues relating to the Pacific, O’Neill expressed satisfaction about the new arrangements with the United States on the multilateral tuna treaty.


On the political situation in Fiji, O’Neill told Bishop that he had met with interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama late last year and had strongly urged him to remain committed to the 2014 deadline for parliamentary elections and to return Fiji to democratic rule.


On Bougainville, he said the government continued to remain engaged and had availed funding to the Autonomous Bougainville Government for the development of major infrastructure and was working to fully restore government services. 
Bishop congratulated O’Neill for managing the country well under the current circumstances.