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<\/p>\nThe CNMI is gearing up for its upcoming 902 talks with the United States and has decided to host the momentous conversations in Saipan.<\/p>\n
The Palacios-Apatang administration is in the midst of preparations for the upcoming consultations between the governments of the CNMI and the United States pursuant to Section 902 of the Covenant also known as \u201c902 talks\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a statement from Gov. Arnold I. Palacios last week, he said while his administration is still finalizing the procedural aspects of the consultations, one thing for sure is that he wants the face-to-face discussions to be held on Saipan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe face-to-face talks will be held on Saipan. We want [United States government representatives] to come and see the challenges we face to [understand] why the discussion points we are going to bring up are very relevant. We have some tentative dates but that\u2019s up for discussion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Palacios said he is currently in discussion with U.S. President Joseph Biden\u2019s appointed representative, assistant secretary of the Interior Carmen G. Cantor, to finalize dates and protocols for the upcoming 902 talks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will be meeting with assistant secretary Cantor, whose been appointed to be the President\u2019s representative for the 902 talks, and we\u2019re going to be finalizing the dates and protocols for the meetings. We\u2019re exchanging those thoughts, and we will be finalizing that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Palacios adds that the 902 talks will push forward, and he hopes they will be finalized by the time the U.S. elects its new President.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a new President comes in, a lot of shifting will occur of course, but we have to give them time. There are some folks that we\u2019re probably going to meet who will still be there. Nevertheless, if the new administration comes in, we\u2019re going to make sure that we make that effort to immediately communicate with the White House to continue those talks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Last July, President Biden responded to the CNMI\u2019s request to initiate consultations between the governments of the CNMI and the United States pursuant to Section 902 of the Covenant to \u201cestablish the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in political union with the U.S.\u201d.<\/p>\n
As part of his response, Biden officially appointed Carmen G. Cantor, the assistant secretary of the Interior, as his representative for the 902 consultations.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Palacios last month, he shared that he is narrowing down who will be joining him in the 902 consultations and is in the process of identifying the date in which to have the 902 talks.<\/p>\n
When asked who would be joining him, Palacios said aside from lawmakers, he has chosen a few people as part of his team.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom our team it\u2019s going to be Mike Sablan from Triple J (who will be handling the technical aspects), then we have Wesley Bogdan who will serve as one of our legal counsels. We will, of course, have other legal counsels looking at other things to make sure everything is running smoothly. Then there will be other technical people from my staff like Tina Sablan, Glenn Hunter, and Frankie Elliptico. Then we have of course the Legislature,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Palacios said he will also be choosing representatives from Tinian and Rota to join the 902 consultations to ensure Tinian and Rota have a voice in the conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have someone from Tinian, Phillip [Mendiola-Long] has volunteered. He\u2019s a businessman from Tinian. I also have to talk to the delegation of Rota,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, there\u2019s going to be subject areas. The 902 consultations will not be all over the place. We will give our input and then we\u2019re going to ask for their perspective and opinions to put it all together,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
According to a previous article on the Saipan Tribune, for this round of consultations, Palacios requested to engage with the U.S. government on three priority issues: 1) direct financial assistance under Section 702 of the Covenant; 2) tourism and transportation infrastructure; and 3) access to skilled labor.<\/p>\n
Palacios said the CNMI looks forward to engaging with assistant secretary Cantor and her team in a transparent and candid discussion about these issues and about how they can work collaboratively toward achieving goals that would mutually benefit the CNMI and the federal government<\/p>\n
Section 902 of the Covenant provides that the government of the United States and the CNMI will designate special representatives to meet and consider in good faith such issues affecting the relationship between the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States as may be designated by either government and to make a report and recommendations with respect thereto.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Arnold I. Palacios<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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