HONOLULU, Hawai‘i (September 2, 2002 – Yokwe Online)---The Republic of the Marshall Islands and United States negotiators have just completed a formal round of Compact of Free Association talks at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu.
On August 28, 2002, the opening session with the two Compact Negotiation Teams, led by Foreign Minister Gerald Zackios for the RMI and the U.S. State Department's Colonel Al Short for the United States, was held.
On the second day of talks, the United States team met in the morning with the representatives from the four nuclear atolls: Bikini, Enewetak, Utrik and Rongelap).
In the afternoon, the RMI/U.S. Compact talks continued with the initialing of the Law Enforcement Agreement.
After a packed room watched the KNC (Kwajalein) hand over their rental proposal to the U.S. government, the meetings concluded.
Both sides mentioned that progress was made all around, and that they would be issuing a joint communiqué...