Fresh hope that Indonesia would allow foreign journalists and observers freely into its most troubled province, West Papua, appear to be unfounded.

The governor of Papua province, Lukas Enembe, said on Wednesday that he wanted to welcome reporters and non-governmental organisations to the area.

West Papua will remain closed to foreign journalists.

"There's nothing that needs to be covered up. That would only raise questions. They can see the development we have made and inform others that Papua is a safe place," he said, as quoted by the Jakarta Globe newspaper.

His promise was immediately seized upon by Australian Greens Senator Richard Di Natale, one of the Parliamentary Friends of West Papua group. He said he had been planning to visit the area anyway, and, in the wake of the governor's comments he would "invite a delegation of journalists and human rights representatives to join me on the trip".