Posted on: Tuesday, October 28, 2003

EDITORIAL
Pacific island gathering cements goals

Given their isolation and relatively small visible impact on the geopolitical scene, it is understandable why the island nations of the Pacific have a difficult time being heard on the international stage.

Which is a shame. Because these islands, ranging from Fiji and New Caledonia through the new nations of the former Micronesia, play a role far greater than their size and population might suggest.

Their territorial waters encompass some of the richest fishing grounds on the globe, and the potential of the oceans around them — from minerals, to natural resources to scientific discovery — is vast but largely untapped.

And in the post-Sept. 11 world of international security, the relatively open borders of these scattered islands are a concern, both to island leaders and the larger world community.

For those and other reasons, a conference of some 13 Pacific island nations held at the East-West Center here provided a unique opportunity to put the concerns and ideas of these leaders on a broader world stage.

The timing of the conference was not accidental. They intended to be in Honolulu in conjunction with the brief visit of President Bush. And, indeed, they did, spending more than an hour with the president on topics ranging from regional economic issues to the global war on terrorism.

In fact, the last time Pacific island leaders had an opportunity for a group meeting with a sitting U.S. president was in 1990, when leaders met with the current president's father.

One of the things Bush might have carried away from his meeting with the island leaders is that — despite many shared concerns and opportunities — this is a diverse group. It would be a mistake to assume that the Marshall Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Niue, for instance, have the same problems, goals and objectives.

In fact, the East-West Center's Pacific expert, Sitiveni Halapua, made that point explicitly when he pointed out that with some decades of experience as post-colonial entities, "maturity means more differences coming out."

That is hardly a bad thing. These island nations have become aware of both their differences and their shared goals and problems.

Conferences such as the most recent East-West Center gathering can identify differences and potential solutions as well as cement the common issues that unite this vast and important part of the globe.