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CNMI’s 902 team ready to meet with counterparts
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Posted on Nov 16 1999
Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan, head of the CNMI’s 902 panel, said yesterday that the team is prepared to discuss issues with the United States government if and when bilateral talks are resumed.
The consultation, however, depends upon Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio and President Clinton who will have to decide whether to hold talks again after the meeting conducted earlier this year bogged down.
“We are ready to sit down and make sense out of this situation if we have the opportunity to talk,” Sablan told reporters as he noted the conflicting views on labor and immigration issues.
The talks resumed last February after nearly seven years after Clinton sent his special emissary Edward B. Cohen to Saipan to discuss a range of concerns, including the two contentious issues.
But the meeting failed to reach an understanding as Cohen later proposed federal takeover of CNMI’s immigration, minimum wage and custom standards — the same position espoused by the White House since 1997.
According to Sablan, the discussion is now beyond the scope of the Covenant Section 902 provision as several takeover legislation are pending in Congress.
If both sides agree to renew the talks, the CNMI panel “is intact and is willing to discuss this issue,” said the lieutenant governor.
Other members of the group include House Speaker Diego T. Benavente and Senate President Paul A. Manglona as well as representatives from the private sector.
