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Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he is thanking U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for clearing American Samoa, Guam and CNMI to apply for observer status at the Pacific Islands Forum.
“Since 2006, I have supported American Samoa’s application for observer status and this recent development has been a long-time in the making,” Faleomavaega said. “I thank all those involved in the process, including Governor Togiola and also the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2410, the State Department Authorization Act which included language I provided to the Foreign Affairs Committee which expressed a Sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should work with the Pacific Islands Forum to find appropriate affiliations for representatives of American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.”
“The House passed this bill and, although the bill was not signed into law by the President, I am pleased that Secretary Clinton took to heart the intent of Congress and cleared these Territories to apply for observer status. As such, a joint application for American Samoa, Guam, and the CNMI to be observer members will be presented at the Forum.”
“Because proper procedure and protocol dictates that any U.S. Territorial Government must work through the U.S. Department of State which represents U.S. interests at the Pacific Forum, I appreciate that Governor Togiola followed up with the U.S. Department of the Interior as well as Secretary Clinton to make sure ASG would be cleared to apply for observer status. Ironically, since 1983, American Samoa has been a full voting member of the South Pacific Commission, now known as the Pacific Community.”
“In closing, I also want to thank U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell who is responsible for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Assistant Secretary Campbell and I had many discussions about American Samoa’s membership as an observer and I thank him for his support which has contributed to this positive outcome. Assistant Secretary Campbell has personally extended an invitation for me to participate as part of the U.S. Delegation and I will do so, if my schedule permits. But either way, I am proud of the work Secretary Clinton is doing to restore America’s stature among our Pacific Island nations and I thank her, once more, for her continued support of the U.S. Territories,” Faleomavaega concluded.
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