15 Jul 2004

Pacific Parliamentary delegation to Nauru to look at island's financial predicament

3:41 pm on 15 July 2004

A Parliamentary delegation from Pacific Islands Forum countries is to visit Nauru this week to get a firsthand view of the problems facing the country.

The delegation, made up of the President of the Fiji Senate, and Parliament Speakers from Kiribati, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu will meet Nauru's President Ludwig Scotty and other government members, as well as representatives from the private sector and civil society.

They'll be discussing how the political and constitutional structures function on auru and take the opportunity to share experiences.

The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Greg Urwin, says the visitors will also be trying to help Nauru come to terms with its financial predicament.

"It had access to quite considerable wealth in the past that's no longer there. There's a number of dimensions to that, the first is working out what Nauru's actual, financial and economic situation is at the moment. On that basis we will be to determine a bit better what Nauru's actual requirements are."

The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Greg Urwin says the visit is unlikely to result in any immediate action plan for the country.