Uganda’s leading daily news paper ‘The New Vision’ published an article on 2 May 2017 about the lobby meeting between ULMWP executive director Jacob Rumbiak and the deputy speaker of the Uganda Parliament, Mr. Jacob Oulanyah. The meeting was part of a courtesy visit to the Uganda Parliament on 7 April 2017. During the meeting Jacob Rumbiak stated that the ULMWP asks Uganda to influence other African states to support the independence of West Papua at the United Nations.
Oulanyah said that the parliament of Uganda was ready to support the ULMWP’s cause using its relations with parliaments in other countries. ”We will do whatever our parliament and the nation can to ensure that by the end of June this year the resolution is heard and discussed at the United Nations.[…] The Parliament can also identify different legislators to propose the motion, support and debate it in House. We can send the resolutions to the other East African Parliaments including the intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern African countries.”
The Deputy foreign affairs minister of Uganda, Mr. Okello Oryem, said in an interview with the news paper that he as ready to meet with the ULMWP. However, he emphasized that Uganda enjoys good diplomatic relations with Indonesia and therefore fully respects its internal affairs.
