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“I want to be a full member of the PIF. That’s my goal,” Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero told RNZ Pacific.
photo: RNZ Pacific/Lydia Lewis
Solomon Islands Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Colin Baker says some tough negotiations are needed for non-independent countries to join the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
Baker said associate and full membership status of the largest regional organization was originally established only for independent states in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.
New Caledonia became a full member in 2016 as it undergoes decolonization.
People’s concerns about Guam and American Samoa Competitive Standard Membership Given that they are U.S. territories, Pacific Islands Forum leaders will make a decision on Friday.
“I want to be a full member of the PIF. That’s my goal,” Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero told RNZ Pacific.
Dr. Tess Newton-Cain, director of the Pacific Center Program at the Griffith Asia Institute, said, “The ability for the United States to get two of its territories, American Samoa and Guam, to get associate membership — if that happens — would seem to suggest that this is how (the United States) would gain a little advantage over China.”
Colin Baker (file photo)
photo: New Zealand Pacific Radio/Susana Suisuiki
Baker told reporters in Nuku’alofa this week that these issues are receiving attention from leaders.
“For the region, I think these are the things we will be discussing when we look at the regional architecture,” he told New Zealand Pacific Radio.
“Of course, the Solomon Islands has its own view on this.
“We want to make sure that … we start from where the forum started. Basically, the 1971 forum was based on sovereign self-governing nations.
“This is to ensure that the definition of an intergovernmental organization is consistent with international law and the UN Charter.
He said there was currently “a range of countries including non-independent countries”.
“The point is whether we should reform the Pacific Community (SPC) to allow for political speech so that you know you have a space where the regions can learn.
A review of the regional architecture is ongoing but not yet complete.
Robert Underwood
photo: RNZ Pacific/Eleisha Foon
“Guam needs to be discussed” – former U.S. congressman
Robert Underwood, a former Guam congressman and the Pacific Islands Security Centre, told RNZ Pacific earlier this month that Guam needed to be part of the negotiations.
“I don’t think Guam needs to be at the table because it has to offer something to other countries. I think Guam needs to be at the table so they can understand how to realize their potential as a player in the Pacific.”
But he said most people on Guam don’t see it that way.
That’s why it’s critical that Guam pursue associate membership of the PIF, he said.
“Sometimes Guam people say, ‘Well, the Pacific Islands Foundation should let us in because we have a lot to offer them’.
“But I always said we should join because they can offer us a lot. They can give us a lot of perspectives and put us into all the activities.
“There were some small changes down in the mines. They talked about Blue Pacific and they talked about doing all these wonderful things for Blue Pacific, but they didn’t include everybody at Blue Pacific.”
Underwood believes that the PIF has used various scenarios to explain why US territory cannot be included in the regional organization.
“It is hard to imagine that Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas and American Samoa would join in as a pretext for the United States to increase its voice,” he said.
“They may be confused for a while, but I think over time they will realize their own abilities and their own agency.”
He added that associate membership would not only be good for the region, but also for Guam.
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