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FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1745
INFO RUEHKN/AMEMBASSY KOLONIA 0062
RUEHMJ/AMEMBASSY MAJURO 0193
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 2019
RUEHSV/AMEMBASSY SUVA 1559
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RUEHBN/AMCONSUL MELBOURNE 6500
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 4765
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 4735

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CANBERRA 000637 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/10/2019 
TAGS: AS BP FJ FM KR NE NH NR NZ PP PREL PS RM
TN, TV, WS 
SUBJECT: GOA OFFICIAL ON CAIRNS PIF GOALS 
 
CANBERRA 00000637  001.3 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR JAMES F. COLE.  REASON: 1.4 (C) 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary:  DFAT Pacific Division, First Assistant 
Secretary Richard Rowe, told Polcouns on July 9 that the GOA, 
New Zealand and most PIF members do not want the Fiji issue 
to dominate the August forum.  Rowe said that Prime Minister 
Rudd is strongly emphasizing a "pragmatic, forward thinking" 
exchange on donor coordination in the Pacific, both in the 
PIF members discussions and in the Post Forum Dialogue.  He 
added that the GOA looks forward to a strong U.S. 
contribution in the PDF discussions on improving donor 
coordination.  Head of the DFAT Engagement Strategy Task 
Force Stephen Waters said that there would be a meeting of 
the quadrilateral security group during the PIF, likely on 
August 6 morning.  End summary. 
 
GOA PREPARING FOR PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM 
 
¶2. (U)  Richard Rowe, DFAT Pacific Division First Assistant 
Secretary, DFAT Pacific Partnerships Taskforce Assistant 
Secretary Stephen Waters, and  DFAT Director of the Pacific 
Regional Section Matthew Neuhaus met with Polcouns, to 
discuss next month's Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), including 
Australia's objectives for the PIF.  In preparation for 
developing support for Australian objectives, Deputy 
Secretary David Ritchie is currently traveling to Papua New 
Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.  Parliamentary 
Secretary for Pacific Islands Affairs Duncan Kerr is also 
traveling in the region (including to the Compact States) 
this week to discuss the upcoming PIF. 
 
DETERMINED FIJI WILL NOT DOMINATE FORUM DISCUSSION 
 
¶3. (C)  Rowe stated that in Australia's view - as well as the 
views of New Zealand and most of the Pacific Island 
countries, Fiji should not be the dominant topic of 
discussion during the forum.  While the issue of Fiji will be 
discussed of course, there are other issues equally 
important.  This view was reinforced by FM Smith to Prime 
Minister Tuilaepa during a trip to Samoa last month.  Other 
issues that the GOA wants to be discussed during the PIF 
include climate change, for which the GOA is developing a 
policy paper for the region, fisheries, sports exchanges and 
public sector management.  Rowe added that Bainimarama will 
be attending this week's Melanesian Spearhead Group meeting 
for discussions.  Rowe said that the GOA is concerned that 
Bainimarama will influence the Melanesian members to come to 
the PIF urging a softer approach to Fiji.  "We have to hold 
this back." Rowe said. 
 
RUDD SEES NEED FOR ECONOMIC RESILIENCE 
 
¶4. (SBU) Rowe stated that PM Rudd is concerned with fostering 
and developing economic "resilience" in the Pacific Islands, 
and to that end the GOA and the GNZ are developing an 
analytical report detailing the impact of the global economic 
crisis on the Pacific Islands, and whether or not they will 
reach their millennium development goals.  Rowe said that at 
this point they "are not tracking well."  The GOA and GNZ are 
also developing a tracking document that will look at 
governance and suggest ways to improve development 
coordination in the region.  The report is at an advanced 
stage in its drafting Rowe said, and will be provided to PIF 
leaders and PIF partners in a few weeks time. 
 
POST FORUM DIALOGUE THEME: BETTER DONOR COORDINATION 
 
¶5.  (C) Rudd wants to reenergize the Post Forum Dialogue and 
Q5.  (C) Rudd wants to reenergize the Post Forum Dialogue and 
make it more substance than "ritual," Rowe said.  To this 
end, the GOA wants to "restructure" the PFD to include an 
active exchange between the PIF members, the partner 
countries and representatives from international financial 
institutions such as the World Bank and the International 
Monetary Fund (IMF).  Rowe noted that the President of the 
ADB will be attending the forum.  Rowe added that Prime 
Minister Rudd would like to see China and India take active 
part in this discussion.  Neuhaus stated that the GOA is 
looking for a "buy-in" from the U.S. on how to move forward 
on improving donor coordination as well as greater 
transparency in data and information sharing. 
 
¶6.  (C)  Waters said that there would be a meeting of the 
quadrilateral Pacific security group (U.S., Australia, New 
Zealand and France) during the PIF, likely on August 6 
 
CANBERRA 00000637  002.3 OF 002 
 
 
morning.  He noted that he was aware of U.S. "reservations" 
about whether to form a second security body and looked 
forward to discussing the issue of a second mechanism (or 
expanding the present one) to handle "non-traditional" 
security concerns in the region. 
 
CLUNE 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Determined .