The American Samoan governor, Tauese Sunia, has spoken out against a proposed new referendum on the territory's status with the UN which lists it as a territory to be decolonised.
The territory's member of the US Congress, Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin, says he wants such a vote because he takes issue with claims that describe American Samoa as an unwilling US colony.
But Tauese says such a step is not necessary because American Samoa has made in clear in four UN decolonisation meetings over 20 years that it wants to be taken off the list.
Two plebiscites in the 1980's came out in favour of maintaining American Samoa's links with the US.
