Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Carmen G. Cantor with the other members of the CNMI and U.S. 902 panels meet in a room at the federal courthouse in Gualo Rai on Thursday.
THE CNMI and U.S. 902 panel members are working toward a mutually acceptable and beneficial agreement, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios said on Thursday.
Section 902 of the Covenant allows the CNMI and the U.S. to designate special representatives to meet and consider in good faith the issues affecting the relationship between the two governments.
On Thursday, the second and final day of the consultations, reporters were allowed into the meeting at the United States Courthouse in Gualo Rai for a briefing only.
In a prepared statement, Palacios told reporters, “We appreciate your patience and understanding as the consultations pursuant to Covenant 902 continue. Yesterday [Wednesday], … we had very open and very productive discussions, and those conversations will continue today.”
Palacios added, “I want to emphasize that I am grateful to Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Carmen G. Cantor for her openness and willingness to focus our dialogues on the urgent undertakings which are directly in line with the provision of the Covenant [aimed] at achieving a higher progressive standard of living for the people of the Commonwealth.”
Cantor was designated by President Joe Biden as his special representative for the 902 consultations.
“We are also thankful that the … consultation is being held in the CNMI, so that the key members [of the U.S. panel] are able to see firsthand some of the challenges, and opportunities that exist in the Commonwealth,” Palacios said.
He said the federal team, which consisted mostly of Interior officials, made a brief visit to various places on Saipan early Wednesday morning.
“We must emphasize that these discussions will not end today, and that we will continue meeting and working with our federal partners after today … and work towards an agreement that will be mutually acceptable and mutually beneficial to both the CNMI and federal governments,” Palacios added.
For her part, Cantor expressed her pleasure in joining the CNMI as the U.S. special representative “to engage in the important work of the 902 consultations, as provided in Article 7 of the Covenant.”
“We received the Commonwealth’s position paper regarding economic development assistance,” she said.
In his letter to Biden in April, Palacios said he wanted the 902 talks to focus on the following issues:
–Direct financial assistance to the CNMI under Section 702 of the Covenant.
–Tourism and transportation infrastructure.
–Access to skilled labor.
Addressing Palacios, Cantor said, “I commend your team for its clarity in discussing [the] CNMI’s fiscal and economic challenges and thoughtful treatment of the opportunity to structure a more sustainable future.”
“We are very grateful for the very productive discussions that we had [Wednesday], and we look forward to more discussion this afternoon,” she said on Thursday.
The CNMI 902 panel members were Mike Sablan, Triple J vice president; former Superior Court Associate Judge Wesley Bogdan; former Rep. Tina Sablan, the governor’s special assistant for climate policy and planning; Tinian businessman Philip Mendiola-Long; Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero; Sen. Donald Mendiola of Rota; House Speaker Edmund Villagomez; Finance Secretary Tracy Norita; CNMI Department of Labor Secretary Leila Staffler; Matthew Deleon Guerrero of Northern Marianas College; and attorney Matthew G. Adams of Kaplan & Kirsh. Adams specializes in environmental issues related to energy, water, transportation, infrastructure, and other development projects.
The U.S. 902 panel members included Interior officials Jonathan Dunn, Timothy Murphy, Basil Ottley Jr., Abdiel Razo, and Harry Blanco.
