Government of the Federated States of Micronesia

FSM Delegation Returns from Forum Meeting

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Information Service). The FSM Delegation headed by Vice President Jacob Nena returned over the weekend to Pohnpei from the 27th South Pacific Forum.

Vice President Nena was accompanied by Secretary of the Department of External Affairs Asterio Takesy; Pohnpei Governor Del Pangelinan; FSM Ambassador to Fiji Alik Alik, FSM Ambassador to the United Nations Resio Moses, FSM Attorney General Camillo Noket, Executive Director of the Micronesian Maritime Authority (MMA) Bernard Daulog, Kosrae State Lieutenant Governor Gerson Jackson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Pacific Affairs Jeem Lipwe, and the Special Assistant to the Vice President Josiah Waguk. The delegation also included the wife of the Vice President Lerina Nena.

The Forum was held from September 3 to 5, 1996, in Majuro, hosted by the president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, His Excellency Amata Kabua.

In welcoming the leaders from 15 other independent Pacific nations, President Kabua reportedly said:

"How true is the saying that real joy gives wings to the spirit, for the happiness of our hearts has, today, traversed immense ocean barriers; the restraining pull of cultural differences is all harmonized, fine-tuned so to speak, into one sea of unity [...] Pacific solidarity for the common good."

The agenda for the Forum Meeting included Nuclear Free Pacific, economic cooperation among member states, fisheries, and donor countries contributions.

The 27th South Pacific Forum is a meeting of leaders of governments of Pacific Island countries, including the FSM.

The 16 heads of government attending this year's Forum meeting included Federated States of Micronesia Vice President Jacob Nena; Australian Prime Minister John Howard; Cook Islands Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Henry; Marshall Islands President Amata Kabua; Papua New guinea Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan; Western Samoa Prime Minister Tofilau Eti Alesana; Tuvalu Prime Minister Kamuta Latasi; Vanuatu Prime Minister Maxime Carlot Korman; Nauru President Lagumot Harris; Kiribati President Teburoro Tito; Fiji Foreign Minister Felipe Bole; New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger; Tonga Prime Minister Baron Vaea; Niue Premier Frank Lui; Palau Education Minister Billy Kuartei; Solomon Islands Deputy Prime Minister Danny Philip; and Forum Secretary General Iremia Tabai.

Following the Forum meeting, the Dialogue Partners met various Forum members to discuss specific issues of interest including financial assistance to member countries.

The Partners included Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America and Japan. France was not welcome to participate in this year's dialogue in protest for the nuclear tests conducted in Muroroa Atolls in French Polynesia, according to an article that appeared in the September 6, 1996, issue of the Marshall Islands Journal.