The president said that, Vice President Kerai Mariur will be representing Palau in the Pacific Island Forum meeting in Cairns, Australia.
Toribiong said he cannot attend the meeting because members of the United States Congress will be in Palau for an oversight visit.He however said that the Pacific way is to send a team to go to Fiji to discuss the issues with Frank Bainimarama’s military led regime.The forum has suspended Fiji from the body condemning the military regime in Fiji.The 40th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting and related meetings will be held from 4-7 August 2009.The Forum is the region’s premier political and economic policy organization. Forum Leaders meet annually to develop collective responses to regional issues.The Forum’s membership has increased from the original seven founding members (Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, New Zealand, Tonga and Western Samoa – now Samoa) to also include the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Niue, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. New Caledonia and French Polynesia, previously Forum Observers, were granted Associate Membership in 2006. Current Forum Observers include Tokelau (2005), Wallis and Futuna (2006), the Commonwealth (2006) and the Asia Development Bank (2006), with Timor Leste as Special Observer (2002).
