By Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON听–听President Joe听叠颈诲别苍‘s special听别苍惫辞测听for talks with three tiny but strategically important听笔补肠颈蹿颈肠听island nations will lead a delegation to the听惭补谤蝉丑补濒濒听滨蝉濒补苍诲蝉听next week amid听驳谤辞飞ing US worries听补产辞耻迟听颁丑颈苍补’蝉听efforts to expand its influence in the region.
Joseph Yun, a veteran diplomat appointed by听叠颈诲别苍聽in March, told Reuters he and his team would be in the听惭补谤蝉丑补濒濒听滨蝉濒补苍诲蝉听from June 14-16.
A spokesperson for the US聽State Department said Yun would hold talks on the Compact of Free Association (COFA) that governs US聽economic assistance for the Republic of the听惭补谤蝉丑补濒濒听滨蝉濒补苍诲蝉听(RMI), which is due to expire next year.
The United States has similar agreements with the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Palau, which expire in 2023 and 2024, respectively, and Yun is also responsible for those negotiations.
“We welcome the opportunity for in-person meetings with the RMI negotiating team and look forward to productive talks,” the State Department spokesperson said.
The听笔补肠颈蹿颈肠听颈蝉濒补苍诲蝉听have emerged as a key front in Washington’s strategic competition with China, which has stepped up diplomatic efforts to woo countries in the region.
Mr. Biden and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern aired shared听肠辞苍肠别谤苍蝉听last week听补产辞耻迟听颁丑颈苍补’蝉听bid to expand its influence in the听笔补肠颈蹿颈肠听and a senior US聽official said they discussed the need for in-person engagement with听笔补肠颈蹿颈肠听island leaders.聽
They also expressed concern听补产辞耻迟听a recent security agreement between China and the Solomon听滨蝉濒补苍诲蝉. [nL3N2XJ0FO]
Last week, a virtual meeting of 10听笔补肠颈蹿颈肠听foreign ministers hosted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Fiji agreed to defer consideration of a Chinese proposal for a sweeping trade and security pact.
Samoa’s leader said subsequently the pact needed to be discussed at a regional meeting before any decisions are made.聽
Talks to renew the US聽COFA agreements with the听惭补谤蝉丑补濒濒听Islands, FSM and Palau began during the Trump administration but languished before Yun’s appointment, raising听肠辞苍肠别谤苍蝉听that Washington could lose its battle for influence with Beijing.
Key iss耻别蝉听for the听惭补谤蝉丑补濒濒听滨蝉濒补苍诲蝉听include remuneration for the legacy of massive US聽nuclear testing there, the presence of US聽military bases and climate-change mitigation.聽
One source familiar with the plans said the talks would be held at the US聽Army Garrison 鈥 Kwajalein Atoll, site of a crucial US聽missile testing facility, and were a sign that Yun’s appointment had injected greater momentum into the听叠颈诲别苍聽administration’s engagement with听笔补肠颈蹿颈肠听Island countries.
Yun had already conducted meetings or virtual discussions with the leaders of the three countries, and held virtual talks with the negotiating team from FSM, the source said, but the听惭补谤蝉丑补濒濒听滨蝉濒补苍诲蝉听trip would mark the first in-person negotiations since they were largely stalled in December 2020.
The source said聽奥补苍驳’蝉听recent听惫颈蝉颈迟听to the region had created a sense of urgency among US听辞蹿蹿颈肠颈补濒蝉.
“I think it focused a lot more attention from people who weren’t very involved,” the person said, adding that Pentagon personnel were getting more involved in the COFA process.
The United States conducted 67 nuclear weapons tests in the听惭补谤蝉丑补濒濒听滨蝉濒补苍诲蝉听from 1946 to 1958 and islanders are still plagued by the health and environmental effects as a result.
The tests included the “Castle Bravo” at Bikini Atoll in 1954 – the largest US聽bomb ever tested and 1,000 times more powerful than the one that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945. – Reuters
