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PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Mar. 1) – Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands will finalize several treaties and agreements at a two-day meeting of senior officials due to start in Port Moresby tomorrow.

Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Rabbie Namaliu said in a statement last night that earlier discussions on border arrangements and signing of a basic border agreement between the Melanesian neighbors in July 1997 had not been enforced because the Solomon Islands Government has yet to ratify the treaty.

Sir Rabbie said that on Feb 25, the Cabinet approved recommendations to ratify the treaties and arrangements relating to the management of the common border area.

The other agreements to be discussed include a framework treaty guiding relations between the two countries and its subsidiary arrangements, a boundary delimitation treaty, a memorandum of understanding on joint surveillance, technical cooperation between the two countries...

RAROTONGA, Cook Islands (Cook Islands News, Feb. 24) - Problems with international phone calls reaching the Cook Islands could be due to operators re-routing calls through different countries, according to Telecom Cook Islands boss Stu Davies.

There were reports last week of calls from America being blocked on their way to Rarotonga, affecting businesses dealing with companies overseas.

Davies says the problem could be caused by a practice known as 'least cost routing', where phone companies use a 'third tier carrier' - another company that offers to connect the call for them.

Often the call is diverted through another country's exchange, and sometimes the call fails to make it to the final destination.

The problem is worse for small countries like those in the Pacific because there are fewer international calls made to and from the destination.

"A lot of operators use a process called least cost routing. They use third tier carriers who have no...

GROUP QUESTIONS CONGRESSMAN’S TRIP TO GUAM

By Maureen Groppe

Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON (Mar. 1) - After Indiana Rep. Dan Burton and two aides were treated to a December trip to Guam, paid for by the Guam government and tourism industry, Burton has backed a change to visa rules that would help Guam's tourism market. He also has held a hearing on health-care problems in Guam and other U.S. territories.

''I think that voters have to be aware of these things and realize that what these groups are doing is buying access and the undivided attention of politicians,'' said Bill Allison, spokesman for the Center for Public Integrity.

Burton's spokesman said Burton went to Guam for ''fact finding'' as part of his foreign policy duties.

''Congressman Burton's trip was conducted entirely in accordance with the rules of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and was thoroughly vetted prior to departing,'' said spokesman Nick Mutton...

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (SIBC, Feb. 29) – Indigenousl landowners of the logged-out Pavuvu Island in the Russell Islands of the Solomon Islands Central Province, are still waiting for more than $2 million promised by a Malaysian logging company nearly 10 years ago.

The islanders are also waiting for a $15 million reforestation program promised by the Solomons government, they say.

Reginald Kokili, a spokesman for the Pavuvu landowners, said Marving Brothers Logging Co. promised to pay them 7.5 percent of its revenues from logging on the island.

He said the company, which operated o Pavuvu from 1995 to 1998, earned about $30 million but has yet to pay the landowners.

Meanwhile, Kokili said, the government has also reneged on its promise to spend $15 million on reforestation of the island following the logging.

He says Prime Minister Allan Kemakeza was the then minister for Forestry and supported the company’s application to log Pavuvu Island....