By Bernadette H. Carreon
Horizon news staff

The United States Department of State will host the triennial Pacific Island Conference of Leaders in Washington D.C, on May 7 and 8 to create a venue for the leaders and learn about the policy making process in Washington.
In the statement by Glyn Davies, Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs before the subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment House Committee on Foreign Affairs recently said that 23 Pacific states and territories including the U.S. territories are invited to the conference.
Davies said that the conference will include sessions involving senior officials from the Department of States, Defense and the Department of Interior.
Davies said that the conference will also include representatives of “like-minded” donor nations for parallel consultations.
Davies said this is the first time that the State and the East-West Center have co-hosted a PICL and the first time the meeting will take place in Washington.