Palau upset with forum

PALAU’S president says the republic is preparing to leave the Pacific Islands Forum, the region’s premier political and economic policy organisation.

President Surangel Whipps jun said the move was over the decision by other Pacific leaders to ignore Micronesia’s request for its candidate to be secretarygeneral of the forum.

On Thursday, former Cook Islands prime minister Henry Puna, was appointed secretarygeneral, pipping Marshall Islands diplomat Gerald Zackios by just one vote.

Whipps said the leaders’ failure to honour an unwritten agreement to rotate the role by subregion was unacceptable.

‘‘Today, we are sending a diplomatic note to Fiji to let them know that we are closing our embassy there because of the results of the forum.’’

Whipps said South Pacific countries dominated forum decisions by sheer numbers, and questioned why several North Pacific islands were not members.