Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says history would be considered when appointing the next secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum.
In February 2021, present secretary general Henry Puna from Cook Islands, a Polynesian, was appointed to the position when it was time for a candidate from the Micronesian block to take up the job.
His appointment led to Kiribati pulling out of the Forum Secretariat and soon after taking office, Mr Rabuka travelled to Kiribati to ask it return to the fold.
Nauru has announced its former president Baron Waqa as their candidate for the post, an appointment that forum leaders will make at their retreat tomorrow.
“It has been talked about in the corridors of this meeting and previous meeting — we would like to consider the history of where we are,” said Mr Rabuka.
“I had to negotiate with Kiribati and brought back the President of Kiribati, who is now cooperating – Micronesia is now cooperating.
“And we should consider their interest as well as what was practiced in the past. “What happened in the last elections of the secretary general?
“Those are all the considerations I will have to bring with me to the table when we consider the successor to the secretary general’s post.”
Mr Waqa is in the Cook Islands with the Nauru delegation.
