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SUVA, Fiji (Fiji 1 News, Nov. 30) - The Great Council of Chiefs secretariat is meeting today to set a date for a council meeting to formally inform chiefs of Ratu Jope Seniloli's resignation and the appointment of a new Vice President.

At least one observer says there is a strong likelihood the post could be given to a person from the Kubuna confederacy.

GCC Chairman Ratu Ovini Bokini, Attorney General Qoroniasi Bale and the GCC Secretary Asesela Sadole have been meeting since two this afternoon.

All eyes will be on the great council of chiefs in the coming days as they deliberate who will become Fiji’s new vice president.

The President, according to the constitution, will now nominate to the Great council of chiefs his choice for the position. The council will consider that person.

Constitutional lawyer John Apted says even before this can eventuate, there will be informal talks between the president and the great council of chiefs.

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By Brian Gomez

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Nov. 29) - An Australian economist has questioned whether Australia's enhanced cooperation package for Papua New Guinea "offers a sustainable solution" to the country's underlying problems.

Craig Sugden, director of Focus Economics in Brisbane, also questioned whether the ECP had satisfied normal cost-benefit considerations or, at least, a cost effectiveness test.

Sugden said the ECP represented a high-cost package with the placement of 300 Australian public servants and associated costs being equivalent to "providing a year's education to more than 700,000 Papua New Guinea children."

Writing in the Australian National University's Pacific Economic Bulletin, prior to the deployment of the initial batch of Australian police and public servants to PNG, Sugden also questioned who would benefit from the program and "whether it can do much to alleviate poverty."

He said most of the direct...

By Zachery Per

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Nov. 30) - Eastern Highlands Provincial leaders will travel to Mt Hagen this week to mediate between the Kimis and Moge tribes, which clashed last week.

EHP police chief Philip Solala said senior Goroka police officials will accompany the leaders.

EHP leaders were piqued last Friday by the no-show of Western Highland leaders at a proposed peace meeting. Instead, the delegation from Mt Hagen that came to Goroka comprised Eastern Highlanders residing Mt Hagen.

EHP deputy governor Joksy Nakime said they want to negotiate peace with leaders from the Moge tribe.

"Eastern Highlanders residing in Mt Hagen are victims. They are trying to negotiate peace for themselves which may not reflect the interests of members of the Moge tribe," Nakime said.

The delegation from Mt Hagen was shown the damages causes to businesses and properties in the riot last Tuesday.

Nakime said Reverend...

By Liberby Dones

SAIPAN, CNMI (Saipan Tribune, Dec. 1) – U.S. island territories and affiliates, including the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, require over half a billion dollars to upgrade critical environmental infrastructure such as water systems in the next five to 10 years.

A preliminary report by the Northbridge Environmental Management Consultants showed that Guam, the CNMI, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, would have a total need of $600 million to $800 million over the next five years for the upgrade or reconstruction of water, sewer, wastewater, and solid waste disposal systems.

These, according to Insular Affairs director Nikolao Pula, are needs that cannot be met by existing resources in the islands or through existing federal funding. He said that current funding only totals $20 million a year.

The Northridge report was submitted to the Interagency Group on the Insular Areas' Working Group on Environmental Infrastructure...