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Palau to quit Pacific forum over leadership snub
Palau said its departure was prompted by the failure of its preferred candidate to win election as the grouping's secretary-general, with four other Micronesian nations also threatening to withdraw over the issue.
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This file picture taken on September 5, 2018 shows flags from the Pacific Islands countries being displayed in Yaren on the last day of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Palau announced it would withdraw from the Pacific Islands Forum on February 5, 2021 after its preferred candidate failed in a bid to lead the regional grouping.
(Agence France Presse/Mike Leyral)
P
alau announced Friday it was quitting the Pacific Islands Forum over a leadership row, threatening the future of a key grouping in a region where China and the United States are vying for influence.
Palau said its departure was prompted by the failure of its preferred candidate to win election as the grouping's secretary-general, with four other Micronesian nations also threatening to withdraw over the issue.
The 18-member PIF is mostly made up of small island states along with Australia and New Zealand, and is a key element of the US allies' diplomatic efforts in the region.
The five Micronesian countries had argued it was their turn to select the PIF secretary-general under an informal arrangement that has stood for decades.
But their preferred candidate failed when former Cook Islands prime minister Henry Puna won a ballot for the post by a single vote on Thursday.
"After recent events the government of the republic of Palau will be terminating its participation in the Pacific Islands Forum," the government said in a diplomatic note obtained by AFP.
"The process regarding the appointment of the secretary-general has clearly indicated to the republic of Palau that unity, regionalism and the Pacific Way no longer guide the Forum."
The other four members of the Micronesian bloc -- the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia -- are due to hold a virtual meeting on Monday, where they will discuss following Palau's lead.
