Government of the Federated States of Micronesia

28th South Pacific Forum Communiqué

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Information Service): September 21,
1997 – The 28th South Pacific Forum meeting under the
Chairmanship of the Prime Minister of Cook Islands Sir Jeffrey Henry,
was held in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, from September 17 to 19, 1997,
issued a communique at the end of the meeting.

Heads of States and Governments and representatives of Australia,
the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati,
Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of
Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu
were in attendance.

The Forum thanked the Government and people of the Cook Islands
for their warm welcome and the generous hospitality provided to all
delegations to the Forum and the arrangements made for the meeting.

The Forum expressed its deep regrets over the ultimate passing of
the late Chairman of the Forum and paid tribute to the memory of the
late President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and former
Chairman of the Forum, His Excellency President Amata Kabua. Leaders
thanked the Republic of the Marshall Islands for its continued
leadership during the period of its Chairmanship.

Leaders thanked the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands for his
presentation on the Forum Theme “Reform, Human Values and
Togetherness” and discussed how reforms aimed at achieving
sustainable development go beyond conventional economic dimensions to
embrace the essentially holistic nature of the process, and took
cognizance of the need for Pacific cultural values and norms to be
the basic premise and foundation of this process.

On Economic Issues: The Forum applauded the outcome of the first
Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) which was held in Cairns,
Australia on July 10 to 11, 1997, and thanked Australia for its
hosting the Meeting. Leaders agreed that the implementation of the
Action Plan requires strong commitment by all members to create
policies for their economies. This policy should include the
development of tourism particularly in the Forum Island Countries
with limited and no exploitable resources, considering the potential
of the coming millennium to tourism development in the region.

Leaders acknowledged the importance of accountability to economic
development and agreed to implement legislation supported by
administrative measures to counteract undesirable financial
activities in the region, noting that such activities undermined
development. They reaffirmed their commitment to free and open trade
amongst the Forum Islands through tariff reform and to ensuring
investment transparency. They agreed to cooperate closely in
improving air and shipping services and in addressing other
impediments to increase trade and investment.

The Forum directed the Forum Secretariat to accord high priority
to facilitating the implementation of the FEMM outcomes and requested
that the next FEMM report(s) to the 1998 Forum on progress in
implementing the Action Plan.

On Trade Office Issues: The Leaders welcomed the opening of the
Pacific Islands Center in Japan in October 1996 and requested the
Government of Japan to consider providing further project funding for
the Center to allow it to develop its role after its first formative year.

The Forum Leaders supported the establishment of the proposed
trade office in the People’s Republic of China and welcomed the offer
by China to contribute funding for the office. The Forum noted that
for the trade office to be worthwhile and effective, substantial
additional resources need to be identified, and considered that plans
to open this office not be advanced until sufficient funding can be found.

On Resources Issues: The Forum Leaders welcomed the successful
outcome of the Second Multilateral High Level Conference on
Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the
Western and Central Pacific held in Majuro in June 1997 and the
Declaration that was adopted in the Conference. Leaders thanked the
Republic of Marshalls for successfully hosting the Conference.

The Forum endorsed the convening of the inter-sessional working
groups on Fisheries Management and Monitoring, Control and
Surveillance and a Third Multilateral High Level Fisheries Conference
before (the) 1998 Forum. The Forum also endorsed the concept of a
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) for the Forum Fisheries Agencies (FFA)
member countries which shall be progressively tested and implemented
for the Distant Water Fishing Nations (DWFNs) vessels operating in
the exclusive economic zone of FFA member countries commencing from
January 1, 1998 and called on DWFNs operating in the region the VMS
initiative FFA member countries.