Stayman in Hawaii for Compact talks By Al Hulsen For Saipan Tribune

HONOLULU, Hawaii —Washington’s special Compact of Free Association negotiator, Allen Stayman, was in Honolulu this week to meet with the Palau President Kuniwo Nakamura.

Stayman heard the Palau leader’s views on how current and possible new compact provisions being negotiated with the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, especially those concerning U.S. immigration and employment, affect Palau’s citizens.

Some provisions of the 15-year FSM and Marshalls’ compacts that provide for U.S. funding, other assistance and security arrangements with the former U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands nations expire in 2001. The compact with Palau continues until later in the next decade.

Formal renewal negotiations began with the Marshalls last October and with the Federated States in November, with the next rounds planned for early next year.

Since Palau is not party to the current negotiations, Stayman said, “President Nakamura wrote to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright asking to have observer status in the talks.”

Although the views of all parties are welcome, the special negotiator noted, it was determined that it would be appropriate only for bilateral-lateral negotiations to take place — between the U.S. and the FSM or the U.S. and the Marshalls.

“And my being here to meet with the President,” Stayman said during an interview at Hawaii’s East-West Center, “is just a further effort to demonstrate our willingness to hear Palau’s views.”

A major issue is immigration. The current compacts permit virtually unrestricted immigration by Freely Associated States Micronesians to the United States and its territories.

While U.S. immigration law prohibits entry to some people, such as those with criminal records and certain diseases, identifying Micronesians in these categories is almost impossible, since passports and visas are not required to enter the United States.

As part of the compact relegation, “I’ve put the governments on notice that the U.S. will be coming up with a mechanism to start enforcing the law.

“Right now Micronesians are not even asked for a secure document, which is something that can’t be easily forged or produced by fraud or bought improperly.”

Another issue which is of special interest to Palau, the special negotiator said, is “what we call work authorization. All three governments have complained that when their citizens migrate to the United States they’re required to get from INS (the Immigration and Naturalization Service) a card known as the EAD or Employment
Authorization Document.”

Because INS is issuing these nationwide, it may take several months to obtain the work document, delaying the Micronesians’ ability to obtain work.

“And that’s a hardship,” Stayman said, “because they can’t make an income.”

This is a matter all three Freely Associated States governments want resolved.

Stayman said the next compact discussions with the Marshall Islands will take place as soon as a new government is in place in January. The current chief negotiator, Foreign Minister Phillip Muller, lost his Nitijla (parliament) seat in national elections last month. As a result, he is not likely to remain the Marshalls’ compact representative.

Formal round two FSM negotiations are planned for either February or March.

The purpose of U.S. assistance under the compacts “is to assist the Freely Associated States in their efforts in advancing economic self sufficiency,” Stayman emphasized.

“In order to do that, we have to know what their strategy is.” That is what Stayman expects to learn more about in the next negotiating sessions.