All home for Forum

All cabinet ministers are in the Cook Islands this week for the 43 rd Pacific Leaders Forum, the largest gathering of Pacific leaders ever to assemble in the country.

Police Minister Teariki Heather yesterday arrived back from the Solomon Islands, where he has been attending a Pacific Chiefs of Police conference with police commissioner Maara Tetava.

Heather goes to Aitutaki for the day today to officially hand over a new police bike to the police force there.

For the rest of the week Heather, as well as Prime Minister Henry Puna, Deputy Prime Minister Tom Marsters, and Ministers Nandi Glassie, Mark Brown, Teina Bishop will all be attending Forum meetings.

The Forum currently comprises 16 member countries – Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Fiji’s membership of the Pacific Forum was suspended in May 2009 – although Minister Bishop seemed to think it was time to welcome Fiji back into the Forum family, making the remark during his trip to Fiji last week for the third Engaging with the Pacific meeting.

But the prime minister’s office quickly moved to distance itself from Bishop’s statement, saying it represented Bishop’s ”personal view“ only.

Meetings that will be held as part of the overall Forum include – Smaller Islands States leaders’ meeting on August 27, Pacific ACP leaders’ meeting and official opening of the Forum on August 28, Forum plenary session on August 29, Forum Leaders’ Retreat (to be held in Aitutaki) on August 30 and the 24th Post-Forum dialogue partners plenary session on August 31.

In addition to the above meetings, other meetings and side events are currently being finalised.

The Cook Islands last hosted the South Pacific Leaders Forum (as it was known then) in September 1997, chaired by then prime minister Sir Geoffrey Henry.