HONOLULU — Representatives of the U.S. State Department and the government of Palau are in Honolulu discussing money, but officials say the talks are not tied to the possible transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the South Pacific island.

State Department spokesman Fred Lash says the talks center around a review of a 15-year-old agreement by which the U.S. provides economic help to the island.
He says negotiations about moving 13 Chinese Muslim Uighurs from Guantanamo to Palau are on a separate track.
The U.S. delegation is led by Alcey Frelick, who heads the State Department’s office of Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Islands affairs.
He says the U.S. team is reviewing Palau’s proposal for extending the economic aid but will make no counteroffers this week.