Remengesau believes diplomatic ties with Japan, ROC will not be affected WRITTEN BY AUREA GERUNDIO-DIZON THURSDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 2014 18:08 On proposed commercial fishing ban… As expressed in different fora, President Remengesau will work to close Palau’s waters to commercial fishing. The president believes this initiative will not affect diplomatic ties especially with the Government of Japan and the Republic of China, which have fishing companies fishing in Palau waters. Remengesau said that Japan and ROC and other countries are very much aware at the moment on what Palau is trying to do. He said that his announcement is not like a big surprise to other countries. Remengesau said that in several meetings with Japan and ROC, Palau has tried to clarify its position on closing its exclusive economic zone to commercial fishing. “Palau is not doing anything outside of the scope of what everybody wants to see. It is just that we will be doing more in the area of conservation, preservation and sustaining our resources. Having said this, we do need the support of the Republic of China and the Government of Japan and we will continue to consult with them on how these arrangements can be implemented to the benefit of everybody,” Remengesau said. The president went to explain that there are two sides to the development policies of the islands. One is to conserve as much as possible the resources and the other is to have sustainable economic practices so the resources and assets can last way into the future. “One point I need to make very clear is that, if you look at the catch of tuna, really Palau has little to declare that so much fish were caught in the waters of Palau. The fish are now mainly in Marshalls, Kiribati and FSM. Our contribution to this whole thing is when they are still small in size around our area, we make sure that we nurture them and provide them an environment to grow in economic value and then maybe our neighbors will reap the benefits,” Remengesau said. During the Sustainable Oceans Forum held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York last week, Remengesau expressed that ending commercial fishing will give nature a chance to heal from what the scientists say the damage caused by the intensive fishing pressures. Remengesau believes Palau’s economy will continue to grow even if its waters will be closed to lucrative commercial fishing. “Palau’s economic potential lies in tourism, not tuna. Tourism, in fact, already provides more than half of our GDP, and it depends upon our pristine marine environment,” he said. The president believes that Palau needs to grow the tourism sector sustainably to replace lost income from fishing while preserving the marine environment. islandtimes.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16062:remengesau-believes-diplomatic-ties-with-japan-roc-will-not-be-affected&catid=4:politics
Posted on: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 02:05:58 +0000
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