Raynold Oilouch, Vice President, has been appointed the Chief Representative for the Compact 432 Review according to Executive Order 431, signed by President Tommy E. Remengesau on December 24, 2019.
Article III of the Compact of Free Association with United States, calls for a periodic review of the Compact and its related agreements.
“United States through a diplomatic note has informed us of their desire to begin the thirteenth anniversary review under Section 423 with emphasis on “economic” provisions,” stated President Tommy E. Remengesau at the press conference this week.
Remengesau added that Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands have established their lead negotiators and are actively preparing for their own reviews. Their compacts will up by year 2023 whilst Palau is 2024.
“Just like we did in 2009 when we created a Compact Review Commission and appointed Reverend Billy Kuartei as Chief Representative. We did a lot of the review and compilation of necessary documents that was later used by the Compact Negotiation Team created by then President Johnson Toribiong, headed by Joshua Koshiba,” stated Remengesau.
Vice President Raynold Oilouch he has already been working with the US counter parts on security matters.
Some of the key responsibilities of a Chief Representative include serving as a lead representative in discussions with the US, come to direct agreement with US representatives, undertake all necessary actions to bring successful conclusions to the discussions with the United States.
The term of the Chief Representative will be until the successful conclusion of the Compact Review Agreement or until replaced by the President.
Members of the Compact Review Advisory Group will come from House of Delegates, Senate, Council of Chiefs, Governors’ Association and Palau Chamber of Commerce. (L.N. Reklai)