Cook Islands seek to host 2012 Forum Leader’s meeting

The Secretary of Foreign Affairs Jim Gosselin has been doing the sums on whether the Cook Islands will be in a position to host the Pacific Islands’ Leaders’ Forum, next year. Already, Foreign Affairs officials have made informal indications to the country members of the Forum that the Cook Islands has a desire to host the Pacific Leaders in 2012. So far, the calculations have put the Forum hosting costs in the vicinity of up to 1.8 million dollars. While this may seem like a lot of money to host just one meeting, it is the main political gathering of the year for the Pacific Islands countries. It doesn’t get any higher than that.
There is some good news in that the 1.8 million dollars can be reduced somewhat with financial help from a few key donors. Both New Zealand and Australia for example, provide money to assist hosting the Forum, and our government will also be looking to China to pick up the tab on big ticket items – like new vehicles. When the Cook Islands last hosted the Pacific Islands Forum in 1997, the People’s Republic donated new cars and motorbikes for the Police. Fifteen years on, our government would like to have the hosting costs eased. With China’s help to buy a fleet of new vehicles in which to chauffeur the Pacific Leaders around, this would allow a small pool of cars to be sold off after the Forum.
What may also ease the cashflow, is splitting the hosting costs over the course of two financial years – next year 2011/2012, and the year after 2012/2013 when the actual Forum would take place. Once the costs have been more defined, a Submission to Cabinet will follow to get formal approval. It is expected that the Prime Minister would then write to the Secretary General of the Forum Secretariat to lodge the Cook Islands expression to host the Leaders’ Meeting. If all goes to plan, the tabling of the bid to host would be put to the Leaders at this year’s meeting in New Zealand, for endorsement.

Headlines : Times 290 02 March 2009
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