Clark urges Pacific Leaders to work together

1.00pm

APIA - New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark says Pacific Island leaders must work on ways to increase co-operation between countries in the region.

In a speech opening the Pacific Island Forum, she said this year would go down in history as the year when leaders decided to take up the challenge of change.

Leaders of 16 Pacific countries go on a retreat today to discuss rugby, an Aids strategy and the group's future.

Helen Clark said a key issue for the leaders' retreat, being held at the Sinalei Reef Resort, was the Pacific plan - a blueprint for how the region might increase co-operation.

At a special meeting in Auckland in April, leaders agreed to develop the Pacific plan as a strategy to create stronger and deeper links between the countries.

Helen Clark said leaders would be discussing how to make progress on that.

Forum secretary-general Greg Urwin said leaders had indicated the Pacific plan should be a "dynamic and multi-layered process, perhaps evolving over a number of years".

Initially it would look at vital sector by sector co-operation, at harmonising -- where possible -- processes and procedures.

"We anticipate some early gains to help carry the momentum of the plan but I stress also that this regional initiative will be a major undertaking for the forum," he said.

Rugby is an issue that will come up at the retreat, and Miss Clark sees links in how Pacific countries have worked together to promote their rugby as an example of regional co-operation.

Samoa, Tonga and other island states have raised the issue of how their players can be in New Zealand and Australian teams but also be available for games in their home country teams.

Some nations have also raised the suggestion Pacific teams should be able to compete in an expanded Super 12.

"The theme that came out of the Pacific review last year was that there needed to be more co-operation because [these] countries are small, New Zealand itself is small on a world scale - as is Australia in terms of population, so how much greater [are] the needs of small countries of a few thousand people," she said.

"I think the Pacific Island rugby team initiative was a fantastic one. It does show that people can transcend national boundaries and work together."

Leaders are expected to generally endorse assistance for Nauru, which is in dire economic circumstances.

The forum will send officials there to discuss what help it needs, although that assistance is expected to be Australian-led.

A regional strategy for HIV/Aids is also on the agenda for talks in the retreat.

Miss Clark told reporters the HIV/Aids strategy was important, "because Aids has taken root in the Pacific as everywhere".

An official said the strategy looked at a government and community response that would also involve church groups in the heavily religious Pacific countries.

A regional transport study, regional assistance, and discussions about Niue and the aftermath of Cyclone Heta were also likely, Miss Clark said.

Niue was to have hosted this year's forum meeting but could not because of devastation caused by the cyclone, and Samoa stepped in to host the meeting.

- NZPA