Amata's Pacific Notebook: Behind the scenes at historic (PICL) Pacific Island Conference of Leaders meetings in Washington, D.C.
May 07, 2007

Day ONE

Reprinted from Samoa News
by Aumua Amata

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 6, 2007). Most readers will be aware that this week many Pacific Island leaders traveled to Washington, DC for an historic meeting of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders (PICL) that opens tomorrow. Although PICL has met in the U.S. in the past in Hawaii, this is the first time ever that the triennial gathering has been held in our nation's capital and it promises to be an exciting week. I am going to attend most of the meetings and events and will file a daily report for Samoa News.

Island territories and countries belong to many regional organizations but because the meetings are attended by heads of government, the ones that stand out are those that hold meetings at the head of government level: the Pacific Islands Forum (formerly the South Pacific Forum), the Conference of the Pacific Community (formerly the South Pacific Conference) and the PICL. The Forum includes Australia, New Zealand and the region's independent and freely associated island states. CPC includes all the Forum countries plus all the Pacific territories and their mother countries. PICL consists of leaders of island countries and territories and the state of Hawaii, but none of the metropolitan countries.

American Samoa participates in CPC and PICL, and I am proud to say long has taken a strong leadership role in both organizations. Our own Senator Pulefa'asisina once served as secretary general of the secretariat that administers CPC and my father, our late Governor Peter Tali Coleman, was a driving force at the Saipan conference in 1983 at which for the first time territories were given equal status with independent countries. Dad also was one of the founders of PICL and served on its standing committee for many years.

This conference will bring back a lot of memories for me. When I was a little girl growing up in Pago Pago, I remember how excited dad was when he came home from the 1959 SPC in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea and told us that American Samoa made history when the SPC accepted his invitation to host the Fifth SPC in Utulei in 1962 (conferences were held once every three years at that time). It was the first time SPC was to be held in an American territory and the first of three SPCs we have hosted over the years.

Dad always took pride at being described as a regionalist for he passionately believed that regional cooperation, without regard to political boundaries, was the key to the future of the Pacific Islands. I am sure he is smiling down from heaven at this Washington gathering. Were he still with us, I am sure he would have worked very hard to help make this meeting happen. I, too, share his passion for regional solutions to common problems and am honored to have been involved in previous regional gatherings including SPCs in Port Vila (1981), American Samoa (1982) and Saipan (1983), and PICLs in Rarotonga (1985) and on the Big Island of Hawaii (1990).

I also was thrilled and honored to take part in the historic first ever summit between island leaders and a President of the United States, which was convened at the East-West Center in Hawaii with George H.W. Bush also in 1990. Although that summit was limited to Forum Island Countries, President Bush invited dad to represent the American Pacific Islands as president of the Pacific Basin Development Council.

So, this week will feel like old home week to me, even though, except for PNG's Sir Michael Somare, the pioneering generation is now gone. I know their spirits will be present when everyone takes his seat for the opening session of the meeting at the U.S. State Department. When I look at the country name plates when Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice opens the conference tomorrow, I will be thinking of great leaders of the past like Sir Robert Rex, Sir Tom Davis, Ratu Mara, Hammer de Roburt, Amata Kabua, Tosiwo Nakayama, Fr. Walter Lini and all others I have had the honor to know personally over the years and who made such great contributions to the advancement of Pacific peoples.

After a briefing of leaders by ambassadors and Washington representatives and a meeting of the Standing Committee this afternoon, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle and East-West Center Dr. Charles Morrison co-hosted an opening reception at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the headquarters of the conference. Governor Lingle welcomed the leaders and, knowing how far away from Washington Hawaii is, expressed sympathy for the distances other island leaders have to travel to get here. But she stressed how important it was for them to be here to raise the profile of their countries and territories and now that she has won re-election to a new term of office, pledged to work more closely with her island colleagues to increase their access to the federal government.

The Governor's remarks were well received and appreciated. There is no question that these opportunities are so rare that it would be a mistake to pass them up for any but the most pressing business back home. It was good to see our own Lt. Governor Ipulasi at the reception accompanied by his executive assistant Kuini Hisatake, Congressional Delegate Faleomavaega and his staff member Tavita Richmond.

Others at the opening were Conference Chairman Kessai Note, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Pacific Islands Development Program Director Dr. Sitiveni Halapua. New Hawaii Congresswoman Maizie Hirono also came by.

Heads of Government who were in attendance included Guam Governor Felix Camacho, Vanuatu Prime Minister Ham Lini, Palau President Tommy Remengesau, Jr. who is now a member of my own extended family with the marriage of his brother Casmir to my niece Marie Coleman. Kiribati President Anote Tong was there, as was Haunani Apoliona, the chairman of the board of trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Other island leaders are still en route to the capital and some no doubt decided to sleep in so they can be ready for the long day tomorrow, which opens with a breakfast at 7 a.m.Monday evening is a Congressional reception and Tuesday evening is Pacific Night, the annual social event hosted by the Pacific Islands diplomatic and representative community resident in Washington. On Thursday, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne is hosting a luncheon for delegations from the American Pacific Islands and the U.S.-affiliated Freely Associated States.

And, oh, by the way, the Queen of England is in town, too.

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