remarkable cultural diversity and significant bio-diversity, marine resources, and impacts of climate change, and should be a region of peace, harmony, security, and positions and issues of stability, security, democracy, good governance, cooperation, sustainable economic and social development, threat of climate change and cooperation in management of fisheries, tourism, culture and education in Oceania.
The one-day summit following the first and second conferences held in 2003 and 2006 with all expenses paid by France, was under tight security with over 60 police security officers sent from Paris, and took place in the cavernous and impressive main hall of the Pacific Community Secretariat compound in the beautiful windy seaside city of Noumea, the Capital of New Caledonia, one of the three French territories in the Pacific.The summit was chaired by French Foreign and European Minister Bernard Kouchner who stood in and apologized for President Nicolas Sarkozi who was unable to be present. Minister Kouchner kept the conference tightly controlled and was subject of criticisms from some participants and the media.Unlike other 26 representatives and heads of state of the 16 member Pacific Island Forum countries, three French Pacific territories and regional organizations attending the Summit who either did not speak or given only one time to speak, Palau Minister of State Sandra S. Pierantozzi managed to take the floor three times to give Palau’s statement on the environment, security, asylum, extradition, visa liberation, continental shelf, climate change, and cooperation in fuel purchase.The issue that received most comments of the delegates was climate change and its impacts on the islands but the most controversial was the status of Fiji in the Pacific organizations as a result of its military dictatorship and failure of calling elections this year.Most of the issues cited in the declaration will also be taken up in the 2009 Pacific Island Forum (PIC) to be hosted by Australia in Cairns, Queensland from August 3-7, 2009. Palau will be represented by a delegation headed by Vice President Kerai Mariur on behalf of President Johnson Toribiong.PIF countries were represented by their foreign ministers or other high officials except FSM, Nauru and Samoa which were represented by their respective Heads of State. Beside Palau, the countries attending the summit were Australia, Nauru, Tonga, Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, FSM, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and the French Collectivities in the Pacific of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna. The regional organizations with representatives in attendance were PIF Secretariat, Pacific Community Secretariat, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme, and the European Union.Minister Pierantozzi headed Palau Delegation which comprised of: Mr. Jeffrey Antol, Foreign Affairs Director; Mr. Moses Y. Uludong, Obudsman; and Mr. Baptist Rechesengel, Staff Assistant to the Minister.Minister Pirantozzi said, “climate change is no longer an environmental issue but a security threat and needs to be confronted in the region.” She further added that Palau being the western most part of the Pacific closest to the Asian mainland, faces other security challenges of terrorism and asylum such as recent asylum seekers which the Pacific lack capacity to handle. The minister also cited other issues for addressing among members such as liberation of visas, facilitating extradition treaty, support for continental shelf claim at the UN, and regional cooperation in fuel purchase to alleviate impact on economies of the region.New Caledonia has 240,000 people with the Kanaks, the native people of New Caledonia constituting nearly half while the Europeans about 40% and other Pacific islanders and Asians making the rest of the population of the country. The Kanaks support independence while the Europeans want to remain with France. The country with a land area of nearly 400 square km of one large island and other smaller islands, has a national government and three provincial governments and is under the military and foreign authority of France. It has natural resources in nickel and copper with active mines as well as thriving tourism. Its government has an annual budget of over $5Billion with France contributing on forth of the budget.
