The government has announced a plan to issue a regulation in lieu of law (perpu) to revise the special autonomy law for Papua, under which the resource-rich island will have to share its economic revenues between Papua and the new West Irian Jaya province.

Another government regulation would also be issued to legitimize the legal status of the controversial West Irian Jaya province.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who just arrived back from an eight-day overseas trip, confirmed the plan here on Friday.

"We will issue a government regulation to regulate the special autonomy status for West Irian Jaya and Papua," Susilo told journalists upon his arrival in Jakarta on Friday evening.

"The government regulation is aimed at ensuring that West Irian Jaya will be able to manage its economy independently," he added.

The President said that after the issuance of the regulation, the government would hold direct gubernatorial elections in the two provinces, though he did not specify any dates.

A government source revealed that the two government regulations would be issued in January, saying the first regulation would be to settle the legal status of the West Irian Jaya province, while the second would be to regulate revenue sharing for the two provinces.

The resource-rich region of Papua is home to the Tangguh gas field, which holds some 18.3 trillion cubic feet of LNG, as well as the PT Freeport Indonesia copper and gold mine. The Tangguh project is located in West Irian Jaya, and Freeport is located in Timika, Papua.

"Papua is considered as one economic unit. All natural resources on the island will not be divided in accordance with its division into two provinces," the source said.

Earlier on Friday, Vice President Jusuf Kalla held a meeting with West Irian Jaya figures to discuss special autonomy issues and a plan for a direct gubernatorial election in the new province.

Those in attendance included Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto, Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf, acting West Irian Jaya legislative council speaker Jimmy Demianus Idjie, acting West Irian Jaya Governor Timbul, and West Irian Jaya military commander Maj. Gen. George Toisutta.

Jimmy said the meeting agreed to postpone the gubernatorial election in West Irian Jaya from the scheduled Nov. 28 until after the government completely settled the new province's legal status and regulated distribution of natural resources and budgets for the two provinces.

Leaders of Papua province had reached a similar agreement during a separate meeting with Kalla at his vice presidential office on Thursday.

Under the agreement, West Irian Jaya's controversial creation would be referred back to Law No. 21/2001 on Papua's special autonomy and to the government regulation concerning the formation of the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP).

The law stipulates that the division of Papua into one or more provinces must obtain the approval of the Papua legislature, governor and MRP.

Kalla said the agreement was aimed at "strengthening the legal basis of West Irian Jaya in the context of the special autonomy".

Meanwhile, human rights activist Asmara Nababan, from the Papuan Forum, urged the government on Friday to continue promoting a peaceful dialog to resolve problems in Papua.

"The people of Papua need to be free from fear and have political appreciation from the central government. Security approaches (to the problems) will spread fear among them, thus eliminating their political participation," said Asmara, who is also former secretary-general of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

In response, Susilo said his government would not settle Papuan problems with military force.