CNMI panel won’t yield •Transition won’t be the focus in talks, Sablan hints

Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan, head of the CNMI 902 team, strongly hinted yesterday that the local panel will unlikely agree to Washington’s suggestion to discuss transition to federal immigration and minimum wage law as a way of addressing the concerns of the White House.

The Northern Marianas and the United States are to resume bilateral talks Tuesday next week to tackle problems arising from differences in handling local labor and immigration policies.

Both governments are still working out the final details of the itinerary of Edward B. Cohen, President Bill Clinton’s special representative to the consultations, and there was no indication if gaps have been narrowed down in the parameters of discussions.

According to Sablan, they will still have to “deliberate” whether the White House’s proposal to take up transition when they sit down for a four-day talks beginning January 19.

The Northern Marianas has been fighting to stave off the federalization of its immigration and minimum wage laws, and local officials are putting forward a list of talking points, which will seek, among others, additional federal assistance to improve administration of these commonwealth functions.

Under the Covenant, which established NMI’s political union with the US, the commonwealth can control its immigration and set minimum wage, but may lose such powers if Congress decides otherwise.

A proposed legislation sponsored by the White House seeking to strip the Northern Marianas of control over labor and immigration has been marked up in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

In his recent letters to the lieutenant governor, Cohen wrote that he would like to discuss transition to federal law, echoing the agenda Clinton wanted to pursue during the talks.

There are no signs that he has backtracked from his position to resolve problems under the federal framework.

Cohen is arriving on Monday and will bring along four experts as resource persons to the 902 consultations, namely Tim Elliott from the Solicitor’s Office, Dan Sweeney of the Department of Labor, Alex Gisser of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and Jay Dowling of the Department of Commerce.

Gisser and Sweeney had assisted Insular Affairs Director Allen P. Stayman during his talks with commonwealth officials last summer. Elliott has been serving the Department of the Interior’s office of the solicitor with extensive experience on insular affairs issues.