OIA report challenged •Cohen cites values that U.S. entities must live up to

Commonwealth and federal negotiators yesterday began a four-day meeting they hoped would ease strains in CNMI-US ties, promising to have an open mind in bridging differences in addressing problems on labor, immigration and customs.

After two attempts to revive the stalled discussions failed last year, the Section 902 talks finally resumed at a simple rites held at the Hyatt, marked with friendly exchange of views, according to officials of both sides.

The heads of both panels said they were willing to listen to each government’s concerns as they explore possible solutions to a host of problems arising from CNMI’s dependence on guest workers, whose growth over the years has worried the federal government.

Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan, head of the CNMI panel, was more direct in presenting the position of the commonwealth on Washington’s proposal to take over local immigration and minimum wage, saying discussions must be guided by the Covenant, which allows the Northern Marianas to control these policies unless the US Congress says otherwise.

Sablan also took the opportunity to criticize the Fourth Annual Report of the Department of the Interior which pointed to loopholes in the reforms being undertaken by local officials to address federal concerns.

“We believe that the report and these statements are not only incorrect in many respects but also display a refusal to consider fairly the CNMI’s programs to address these problems and the likely consequences of the recommendations contained in the report,” Sablan said in his opening statement.

In his opening remarks, President Bill Clinton’s special representative to the 902 talks, Edward Cohen, evaded mentioning labor and immigration problems, referring to these federal concerns as strains in the relations between Saipan and Washington.

“While I arrive with high hopes, I also have profound concerns,” Cohen said, “The strains that have developed between the federal and CNMI governments are acute.”

Clinton’s top aide said he recognized the right of the Northern Marianas to self-governance as guaranteed in the Covenant which established the commonwealth’s political union with the United States, but pointed out that CNMI must also acknowledge its responsibilities as a member of the political family.

He said, “we must all understand that there are parameters and limits…There are and must be certain basic, core principles to which all members of the American political family must subscribe or else we’re not a family.”

According to Cohen, CNMI’s apparent lack of attention to those principles troubles a lot of officials in Washington, including Clinton.

Northern Marianas has been under pressure to reform its labor and immigration policies since the White House proposed a federal takeover because of what it claimed failure of local officials to address labor problems, curb entry of non-resident workers and raise minimum wage to federal standards.

Closed-door meeting

Behind closed doors, negotiators of both sides laid down ground rules for the remaining days of the meeting ending on Friday and engaged in a freewheeling discussion that lasted more than an hour, according to sources privy to the meeting.

During the discussion, Cohen allayed fears of local officials that Washington’s proposal on transition to federal immigration and minimum wage laws will take effect immediately.

“We’re not going to pull the rug under you,” one local negotiator quoted Cohen as saying apparently to assure commonwealth representatives to the talks if a takeover pushed through, “He was talking about a timeline of eleven years. But when it’s going to start, we don’t know.”

Another source who declined to be identified said Cohen was concerned if the local government is preparing for the departure of garment manufacturers when trade barriers are brought down beginning year 2004 with the implementation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

“Mr. Cohen wants to know what we’re going to do with the garment workers and what we’ll do with the garment facilities. They want to see the government’s plan because they want to help,” a source said.

In the same meeting, the two panels agreed to refrain from giving statements to the media to avoid “possible misunderstanding” that could affect discussions.

Courtesy call

Before the talks opened, Cohen, along with DOI official Tim Elliott, met with Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio for a courtesy call which both officials described as a cordial meeting.

“It was a friendly meeting. I hope this meeting will be of mutual benefit to the CNMI and the US,” the governor said.

Shortly after their meeting, a number of Chinese workers picketed in front of the Administration Building to pressure the government to act on their cases against a Chinese employer they accused of failing to pay their wages.

The workers, all Chinese, are employees of the Hong Xiang Corp. based on Tinian, said in an open letter provided to reporters they paid $6,500 each to a certain Zheng, their employer’s cousin, to enable them to work on Saipan as farmers.

However, they were brought to Tinian. They said there was no farm but a hollow blocks factory which closed down later.

According to the workers, they were able to go to Saipan through Malaysia.