Temaru salutes fallen leaders

Arriving to an elaborate turou on the tarmac at Rarotonga International Airport, French Polynesian President Oscar Temaru made one request – to visit the gravesites of two fallen Cook Islands leaders.

Laden with ei and coming off a commercial flight from Papeete, Temaru opted not to head to his hotel but instead to the graves of the late Sir Geoffrey Henry and the late Sir Terepai Maoate.

”They were two great leaders,“ Temaru told Cook Islands News yesterday.

Standing at the burial site of the late Sir Geoffrey, he observed a moment of silence and expressed his condolences to the Henry family.

”We were great friends,“ Temaru said of Sir Geoff. ”We were like brothers. Sir Geoffrey and also (Sir Terepai) Maoate have done a lot for the Cook Islands. We love our countries. It is a duty for me to come here to pay my respects and give my condolences to the Cook Islands.“

Temaru was the first Pacific leader to arrive in the Cook Islands for the Pacific Islands Forum. Because only one flight operates between Rarotonga and Tahiti Nui weekly, he leaves on Thursday afternoon – the day before the post-Forum dialogue.

As French Polynesia is not a Forum member but an associate member, Temaru will not be participating in all Forum discussions. However, he looks forward to attending the Polynesian leaders’ meeting at Muri Beach Club Hotel tomorrow morning.

He intends to raise the issue of sovereignty for French Polynesia, but says his priority is to broach the subject of his country’s formal admission into the Pacific Islands Forum.

”Getting my country back on the list is the first step,“ he said yesterday.

French Polynesia was granted associate membership in 2006.