Teno wants 902 talks resumed

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday underscored the need for the island government to open consultation talks again with the United States as provided under Section 902 of the Covenant, saying there are many issues that must be discussed on the table.

“I would like to see the resumption [of the talks] as soon as possible because there are so many other issues that are arising,” he told reporters in an interview.

The statement came as President Clinton’s special representative to the talks, Edward B. Cohen, criticized the process as a failure in a letter addressed to Mr. Tenorio when he resigned from the post.

The governor said he had responded to his letter, but added that he was not surprised about Mr. Cohen’s assessment of the meeting that took place in January 1999 on Saipan — the first held in six years.

“There was nothing actually accomplished… because the meeting that was conducted here was basically just to present ‘This is what we want.’ It’s non-negotiable type,” Mr. Tenorio said in defense of the talks.

Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan led the CNMI panel during the week-long discussion which tackled labor, immigration and custom issues which have been the source of major differences between the Commonwealth and federal governments in recent months.

The local chief negotiator the other day refuted his counterpart’s claims that last year’s meeting was a total failure, but he did not provide details other than saying that they have made some progress.

Mr. Cohen walked away from the talks with vows to push federal takeover, which he did last December when he recommended to Mr. Clinton new legislation that will strip CNMI’s control over local immigration, minimum wage and custom standards.

Commonwealth leaders have opposed any takeover attempt due to its devastating impact on the local economy. The federal government has maintained that such move is necessary, alleging failure by the islands to curb number of guest workers and stem labor abuses here.

The governor did no say what issues the CNMI hopes to bring to the negotiating table. Last month, he first raised the need to resume the 902 talks following his disappointment on a package of assistance being proposed by the Clinton administration under the Interagency Group on Insular Areas.

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.

“The reason why the provisions of 902 [are included] is to provide the federal government and the CNMI [a means to] sit together, and try to resolve the issues that we have,” said Mr. Tenorio.