By REBECCA KUKU, The National PNG
THE United States-Pacific Summit will go ahead with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arriving on Monday to represent President Joe Biden.
Biden had to cancel his three-hour stop-over scheduled for Monday because of pressing national matters he had to attend to in Washington.
He called Prime Minister James Marape yesterday to apologise for cancelling his visit to Port Moresby, and confirmed that Blinken would attend the summit on his behalf.
Marape said Blinken would arrive in Port Moresby on Monday morning.
“This will be the continuation of discussions held during the first US-Pacific Summit last September,” Marape said.
“The summit will take place as planned between the US and the Pacific country leaders next week in Port Moresby.”
Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka arrived yesterday, while other Pacific country leaders including the New Zealand Prime Minister will be coming to attend the Forum for the India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) and the US-Pacific Summit.
Marape said PNG already had a Status of Force agreement and a ship-rider’s agreement with the US.
It is looking forward to signing a Defence Cooperation agreement with the US.
He clarified that the PNG-US cooperation agreement will not violate the country’s laws, its sovereignty nor was it against the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Marape said PNG stood by its motto of “friends to all and enemies to none”.
“Parliament will be privy to this.
“The (agreement) is still in its negotiation stage and we’re almost ready to sign.
“It will not stop us from signing our own agreements or cooperation with other countries,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso also clarified that the Cabinet had already approved the Defence Cooperation Treaty.
Once it’s signed by the US and PNG, it will be taken to Parliament, were it can be deliberated on and passed.
“So let me clarify that even if it is signed, it will not be law until it’s deliberated in the Parliament,” he said.
Melanesia News 