PNG SUPPORTS CONVENING OF SPECIAL MSG LEADERS’ SUMMIT

The Papua New Guinea Government has expressed its support for the convening of a special summit for the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) leaders in April.
Port Moresby’s support for the special summit to discuss issues affecting the MSG Secretariat was articulated in meetings between the MSG Chair, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare and the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, Hon Peter O’Neill and Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon Rimbink Pato in the PNG Capital.
The MSG Chair said the poor financial situation warrants that MSG leaders’ convene for a special summit in Port Vila in April to chart the way forward.
Both the PNG Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister spoke in support of the special leaders’ summit and confirmed their country’s participation. Vanuatu and the FLNKS have also expressed their support for the special summit and assured the MSG Chair of their participation.
The meetings were part of the round of talks the MSG Chair held with other MSG leaders during his tour of the Melanesian Capitals.
Discussions during the MSG Chair’s tour were primarily focused on the poor financial position of the MSG Secretariat. This situation has delayed the appointment of a new Director General and hampered the effective implementation of the organisation’s work programme.
Meanwhile, the MSG Chair and his delegation arrived back in Honiara today upon the conclusion of the final leg of their MSG Capitals tour in Port Moresby.