Monday September 27, 2004    

LOS ANGELES, California-Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton underscored Friday the overarching message that Pacific islanders have been saying all along: That there are only "win-win opportunities" in setting up shop in the relatively untapped investment frontiers of American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands.

Speaking on the final day of the 2004 Business Investment Opportunities held at the Downtown L.A. Marriott Hotel from Sept. 23-24, the federal official reiterated the advantages of pursuing business ventures in the seven island jurisdictions.

Targeting business entrepreneurs in attendance during her brief address, Norton assured that these were English-speaking islands "with a wonderful blending of cultures."

She went on to describe in detail each entity's competitive edge, stating first-hand knowledge of what she preached following her Pacific tour with a congressional delegation led by California Rep. Richard Pombo earlier this year.

The Department of the Interior stressed that it was not endorsing any particular company or area of investment, explaining that the purpose of the conference was to pave the way for islanders and prospective investors to discover each other's big business potentials.

Norton was pleased with the turnout of this year's conference, which reportedly drew over 1,000 participants, as against last year's more than 500 attendees. The first Business Investment Opportunities conference held in 2003 was staged in Washington D.C.

Norton took over the podium following an introduction by Insular Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary David B. Cohen.

Cohen, earlier in the conference, made his own pitch promoting the Pacific islands as an investment haven, as he officially kicked off the forum on Thursday.

The two-day conference culminated with business-to-business meetings, which Cohen described as the most important part of the DOI-sponsored forum.

Hospitality suites were set up for each of the seven entities at the third floor of the hotel, where island representatives entertained business interests over a buffet of refreshments.

The conference was touted a success despite a bomb threat that reportedly targeted the World Trade Center building across the Marriott Hotel early Friday afternoon.

Hotel occupants were prohibited from leaving the hotel premises between 1:45pm and 2:20pm while Los Angeles law enforcement authorities bustled to resolve the situation.

CNMI Gov. Juan N. Babauta, who was scheduled to catch a plane to Hawaii on Friday, reportedly made it out of the Marriott before the alert was announced. Babauta was flying to Honolulu to preside over a Pacific Basin Development Council meeting. He heads this council.

The governor attended the investment conference with an entourage of about 22 government officials and employees. More representatives from the private business sector were also on hand at the conference to market the CNMI as a business and investment destination.

The CNMI stood out among other delegations by showing up in uniform bright yellow island shirts depicting the flower Plumeria. In addition, the Northern Marianas also handed out eye-catching yellow bags loaded with information packets on the CNMI, island souvenirs and other relevant goodies. (Marian A. Maraya)