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Papua New Guinea to host Pacific leaders in October

Palikir, POHNPEI (FSM Information Service): June 21, 2005 - The Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Forum has announced that the 36^th Pacific Islands Forum will be held in Papua New Guinea from October 25 -29, 2005.

Port Moresby will host the annual meeting of the Pacific Leaders from the 16-Islands members of the Pacific Islands Forum where the Leaders will consider "the final draft of the Pacific Plan on regionalism, and give further direction to Forum mandates in social, economic, trade and political issues."

The 'plan' is envisioned to guide the region towards the new vision for the Pacific with intends for the people of the Pacific to lead 'free and worthwhile lives.'

The Secretariat also announced that the meeting of the Forum Officials Committee is scheduled for October 3-5, at the Forum Secretariat headquarters in Fiji. This will be a combined pre Forum FOC and Budget/Work Program session. The FOC is the governing body for the Secretariat.

The Pacific Island Forum represents Heads of Government of all the independent and self-governing Pacific Island countries, Australia and New Zealand. Since 1971 it has provided member nations with the opportunity to express their joint political views and to cooperate in areas of political and economic concern.

The Pacific Islands Forum 16-members include: Australia, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.