Second from right, the US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Kurt M. Campbell

The United States has stepped up its commitment to work with its Pacific Island partners with the second visit to the region by the US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Kurt M. Campbell, and the Pacific Fleet Commander, Admiral Cecil Haney, with an interagency delegation.

During their over-night stop in Tonga on August 1, the delegation had an audience with King Tupou VI and met the Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano and senior government officials.

In a press conference, Mr Campbell said that they discussed a range of issues with King Tupou VI, including upgrading the Tongan Navy, combating illegal fishing, assisting Tonga in patrolling its territorial waters and the possibility for Tongan soldiers to participate in international peace keeping operations, which could mean expanding the Tonga Defence Services. 

Mr Campbell commented on the USA's relationship with Fiji, where they have a new embassy in Suva. He agreed that there was a difference in the approach by the USA, and Australia and New Zealand to Fiji.

The Forum had suspended Fiji's membership in the regional organisation and New Zealand and Australia severed their diplomatic relations with Fiji after their High Commissioners were expelled from Suva.

But he said that the USA would like to see democracy return to Fiji, and that there was also a change in the approach of both Australia and New Zealand to Fiji.

He said that the USA Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton would be attending the Pacific Islands Forum annual meeting to be held in the Cook Islands toward the end of August. It will be the first time for a USA Secretary of State to attend.

On the question of whether or not Tongan soldiers would continue to participate in the western allies military operation in Afghanistan beyond 2012, Mr Campbell did not give a definite answer other than to say that the king was very proud of what his soldiers were doing in Afghanistan.

The US delegation, which included Jeff Prescott, Special Advisor for Asian Affairs at the Office on the Vice President, Gloria Steele, USAID  Mission Director for the Philippines and the Pacific Islands, were in Tonga at the beginning of a Pacific tour, which will take them to Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.