Pacific Magazine > Daily News

Remengesau A Forum No-Show, But Why?

By David Miho in Koror
Tuesday: August 19, 2008

Palau President Tommy Remengesau is a no-show at this week’s Pacific Islands Forum Summit in Niue, but it isn’t clear why he’s not attending the meeting of regional leaders.

Remengesau has told Palauans that he’s not attending the Forum to protest Fiji’s decision to not hold parliamentary elections next November, as promised at last year’s Forum summit in Tonga.

Interim Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama "went back on his word to the Forum leaders at our last meeting and now it is not clear when and how the election in Fiji will be made,” Remengesau said in a statement released in Palau.

Remengesau said he would not attend the Niue meeting due to his concern about the political situation in Fiji. Palau will be represented at Niue by Minister of State Temmy Shmull.

However, according to the Fiji Times today, Forum spokesman Johnson Honimae said they had received a letter from Remengesau yesterday saying that he would not attend the meeting because of commitments at home.

Remengesau, who cannot run for a third term, is a candidate for the Palau Senate in this November's general elections.

Honimae downplayed speculation that Palau, and also Guam, would not attend the Niue summit because of the Fiji situation. But Honimae said Guam’s decision to not attend was not an issue, as the U.S. territory is not a Forum member.

See also:

Two Pullout News False: Forum

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=98314