Don’t Treat Us Like Enemies

The soft rumble of waves crashing nearby on the ocean-side reef and the pristine white sand beach on Arno Atoll provided a spectacular backdrop for an interview-but one that did not soften the anger in the words of Palau President Tommy Remengesau, Jr. His anger is about the recent state of relations between the United States and Palau and the other two freely associated states.

Remengesau had just finished 30 minutes of fishing off the rocks at Arno, an atoll separated from the capital of Majuro by 10 miles of open ocean. He and Federated States of Micronesia President Joseph Urusemal had joined Republic of the Marshall Islands President Kessai Note for the two-day Micronesian presidents' summit in early August. It was the third of the annual meetings.

RMI Pres. Note, (right) congratulates Palau Pres. Remegesau on his catch. Photo By Giff Johnson

While the leaders spent one day ensconced in discussions surrounded by staff and high-level advisors, they devoted the next day to a boat ride and fishing while enroute to Arno-catching a marlin on the way. Once there, they visited a newly opened giant clam farm and were treated to food and song by atoll residents.

The official communiqué from the summit meeting covered topics ranging from climate change to sub-regional air service, waste management and telecommunications cooperation. But the leaders left no question as to their discontent with American government policy toward these three U.S.-affiliated Island nations. They believe the new compacts for FSM and RMI are being shoved down their throats in a "take it or leave it" style by the Bush Administration.

"There's no question that we want the United States as a special friend," Remengesau told Pacific Magazine. "But there are times that we wonder if we both believe in the value of the relationship." All three leaders, but Remengesau in particular, see a U.S. over-reaction to terrorism in their dealings with these three Island nations that have always been long-term and staunch American allies.

Remengesau was particularly critical of the U.S. attempts to change immigration provisions in Palau's Compact with the U.S.-which does not expire until 2009. "One of the biggest reasons why Palau approved the Compact was the special right of immigration (to the U.S.)," he says. "This fundamental right is protected under the Compact. If we give authority to an Immigration and Naturalization Service official (to change it) we don't know what will happen tomorrow."

Palau has rejected U.S. arm-twisting to get it to agree to the same changes to its Compact immigration provisions that the RMI and FSM have already agreed to in their recently amended agreements, he says.

In fact, Palau has given up its effort to join the U.S.-based National Exchange Carriers Association to dramatically reduce long-distance calling rates because the U.S. government was dangling membership as the carrot for Palau to sign off on a revamp of its Compact's immigration provisions.

"We were working on this long before Sept. 11, 2001," he says. "The departments of Defense, Interior and State all supported our membership. We were working on the legal framework to make this happen under the Compact." But, he says, while lower long-distance rates are important for Palau "we have to consider the integrity of the Compact. We can't throw that out for the sake of NECA."

Remengesau says the "fine print" of the proposed U.S. immigration changes for Palau will "nullify the immigration rights" in the Compact by giving INS the authority to "impede free rights of Palauans to enter the U.S."

Palau's president says that he is frustrated "because we feel that we are being treated as a threatening and terrorist country." Palau, the FSM and RMI are being "overwhelmed by the U.S Homeland Security effort."

But, Remengesau says, the U.S. shouldn't get carried away with its special friends. For example, he says, since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., the U.S. government has asked Palau to upgrade and enforce a higher degree of security at its airport. "But we don't have the resources to do it, and the U.S. is not providing the resources," he says.

The problem, he believes, is that there are few people in either the Bush administration or the U.S. Congress who understand the roots of the unique and long-standing ties between the U.S. and the Micronesian area. "It is unfortunate that the Compact renegotiations (for FSM and RMI) have been taking place with Sept. 11 and the Iraq war topping the agenda," he says. This has led the U.S. to implement policies with no differences between its friends and enemies.

He observes that a Pohnpeian soldier in the U.S. Army recently had both legs blown off while fighting alongside American soldiers in Iraq, and that many young men and women from all three countries are fighting in Iraq for the U.S. Says Remengesau: "All we get is statements that we're their friends, but nothing in deed is being done to treat us as friends."