DISAPPOINTED OVER IGIA REPORT Teno wants 902 talks resumed

Apparently disappointed over a package of economic initiatives and assistance proposed by President Clinton for the islands, the CNMI government is now seeking resumption of consultation talks to bridge differences with the federal government.

Several issues involving the Commonwealth’s relations with Washington are better discussed in the meeting set forth under Section 902 of the Covenant, according to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio who raised the concern in reaction to a recent report from the Clinton administration.

The Interagency Group on Insular Areas, formed by the president in August last year, came out with the draft report resulting from several meetings between White House senior officials and governors of the CNMI, Guam, American Samoa and Virgin Islands.

While several recommendations were made to help the U.S. territories achieve economic growth in a pace similar to the mainland, CNMI officials have stressed these steps fall short of what they had sought.

Mr. Tenorio disclosed that his staff had provided a list of CNMI’s concerns, but many of them were omitted from the report that outlined action plans by the federal government on insular issues.

“Unfortunately, many of our recommendations and suggestions were not included in that report,” he told reporters yesterday in an interview, without providing details.

Asked whether he will follow up on these issues with Mr. Clinton, the local chief executive said that “something needs to be done” to draw attention to economic and social problems confronting the CNMI.

“We will continue to pursue our needs. As a matter of fact, we have been asking the [Clinton] administration to appoint somebody so that we could revisit the 902 provisions of our Covenant,” he added.

Washington, however, has remained non-committal on the request despite insistence by the island government. “We have been asking the federal government,” Mr. Tenorio explained. “During the last meeting, I don’t know what happen. They don’t feel like meeting with us anymore, but we continue to pursue it because that’s one of the ways provided in the Covenant.”

The 902 consultation process allows both governments to iron out differences set within the context of Covenant which established the islands’ political relationship with the United States.

It was last held early last year when Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan, head of the CNMI panel, and Edward B. Cohen, the president’s special representative to the talks, met on Saipan to discuss a wide range of issues, including labor and immigration concerns.

The meeting failed to reach an understanding on several contentious issues, specifically on the Commonwealth’s opposition against federal takeover of local immigration and minimum wage, as Mr. Cohen submitted a new proposal in late 1999 to Mr. Clinton pressing the federalization plan.