[pima.nius] PNG ready for Clinton juggernaut

PNG ready for Clinton juggernaut
ILYA GRIDNEFF
January 13, 2010 - 7:19PM
AAP

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the world's most powerful
woman, will make a flying visit to Papua New Guinea on Thursday that
will raise awareness for some of the world's most disadvantaged women.

Her six-hour stay will be the first to PNG by a US Secretary of State
since Madeleine Albright in 1998.

Ms Clinton on Wednesday told an audience in Hawaii that her trip to
PNG would address women's issues.

"I will be meeting in PNG with a new group of women military officers
and security officers who have been recruited... never happened
before," she said.

"And what we've seen is that there are ways of opening up
opportunities for women by identifying problems that within the
cultural norm of a society women are better able to address."

Besides women's groups, Ms Clinton is expected to meet several local
NGOs and PNG's only female MP, Carol Kidu.

She is due to touch down in Port Moresby just after 2pm (3pm AEDT) and
meet PNG Prime Minister Michael Somare and Foreign Affairs Minister
Sam Abal before inspecting a mangrove regeneration project.

Mr Somare on Wednesday expressed pride in such a high-profile visit,
adding that PNG's new-found economic prosperity due to a prolonged
resource boom had brought the US and PNG closer than ever.

"In recent years our total trade with the largest economy in the
world, the US, has gone from 619 million kina ($A245 million) in 2004
to a record total trade volume of 2,156 million kina ($A853 million)
in 2008," he said.

"Through the establishment of our Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) projects
and the recent Foreign Direct Investment of US$3 billion (A$3.25
billion), the US is now PNG's second largest trading partner."

He said Thursday's discussions were expected to include PNG/US
bilateral cooperation, regional and international issues, including
the Coral Triangle Initiative and climate change.

PNG think tank, Institute of National Affairs director Paul Barker
said PNG's expanding relationship with China was another likely topic
of discussion along with the $16 billion ExxonMobil-led LNG project.

"China's resource purchases in PNG and increasing business deals, the
ExxonMobil LNG project just signed a deal with China to supply twenty
years of gas," he said.

"Former US president George Bush left Australia to be 'deputy sheriff'
of the region, but now with increasing China muscle, the Obama
administration probably thinks maybe the deputy needs some help."

Port Moresby on Wednesday was preparing to go into lockdown, with
massive security measures already visible across the capital.

The visit remains top secret with no itinerary or schedule of events
available nor any indications whether the locals will be able to even
catch of glimpse of Ms Clinton.

So controlled is the visit the US embassy in Port Moresby has excluded
AAP and the ABC from the visit, allowing only local media access.

"There is no room on the bus," a US official told AAP when explaining
why there would be an Australian media blackout.

After PNG , Ms Clinton will visit New Zealand before heading to Australia.



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