Three more countries to join regional Pacific bulk fuel co-op

Three more Pacific Island Countries have indicated their interest to sign on to the regional Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on bulk procurement of fuel, says Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Tuiloma Neroni Slade. Their commitments were put before the Pacific Plan Action Committee (PPAC) currently meeting in Suva, Fiji. Others have also joined the regional petroleum project: Cook Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu signed the MOU last year. Slade admitted the Forum Secretariat did not have the technical expertise to advance commercial preparations but was in the process of setting up a specialized unit within the Forum Secretariat. “The MOU provides for the setting up of a project committee and manager. Until such time that this is established, we at the Forum Secretariat would have to carry out this work for members We could be looking at one person or a company or a corporate entity because this is a very specialized area of work,” Slade said. (April 2, 2009)