American Samoa advised withdraw PIF application

The United States' State Department has asked American Samoa to withdraw its observer status application to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

According to Radio New Zealand Thursday's report, the Governor Togiola Tulafono revealed this in response to the territory's application for membership stands.

The governor said that he had been informed by the Secretary General of the Forum that American Samoa's application for associate membership would be submitted to the Forum meeting next week.

As the intergovernmental organization of the South Pacific region, PIF groups 16 countries and several observer status nations.

He said this may now be delayed because of the request from the United States Department of State.

The governor said he saw no reason to withdraw American Samoa's application and he was writing to the State Department asking that they support the territory's application.

Togiola said he was also informing the Forum that there was no reason to delay action on the territory's application.

The governor said American Samoa was applying to be an associate member, and it would not vote on any actions taken by the Forum, and it would not be directly involved in any policy making decisions of the Forum.

American Samoa is a group of six Polynesian islands in the South Pacific. Fourteen degrees below the equator, it is the United States' southern-most territory.

Source: Xinhua