Tongan PM calls for decisive action on climate change, oil price hike
20/8/2008 17:50
Tonga Prime Minister Feleti Waka'uta Sevele called on the Pacific Island
Forum (PIF) leaders yesterday to make concerted effort to bring about a
resolution to counter the effects of rising fuel prices.
Addressing the
opening ceremony of the 39th Pacific Island Forum leaders summit here early
afternoon, Sevele, the outgoing chair of the forum, said he suggested the forum
leaders to direct the incoming Secretary General to sort out the issue of bulk
purchasing of petroleum within six months of his assuming office.
"The issue
of bulk purchasing of petroleum has been on the Forum agenda for quite some time
and given what is happening now, we need as a region to be more decisive and be
'outcomes-oriented', " the prime minister said.
Secretary General of the PIF
Secretariat, Greg Urwin, died of illness on Aug. 9, 2008, and the new secretary
general will be elected at the current forum leaders summit.
In his speech,
Sevele also raised the urgent issue of climate change to the summit attention
and called for quick action.
"We have been talking about these for the past
few years; Tuvalu has been crying out about the dire effect of climate change
and rising sea-levels, but nothing concrete has been done to mitigate the
problems they encounter as a result,"he said.
And in this regard, Sevele
thanked the government of Niue for choosing climate change as the theme for this
year's forum meeting, and hoped necessary remedial measures would be taken at
this forum summit to help relieve the pains of the low-lying island
states.
Xinhua
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