27 Jul 2004

US Peace Corps plans return to Tuvalu

3:58 pm on 27 July 2004

Voluntary workers from the United States hope fresh diplomatic discussions will allow them to resume projects in Tuvalu.

Budget cuts forced the US Peace Corps to withdraw from many Pacific Island countries in 1998.

Work restarted in Fiji last year, and operations are ongoing in the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati.

The head of operations for the peace corps in Fiji, Mark Lewis, says the United States wants to hold discussions with Tuvalu about sending peace corps workers there.

Mr Lewis says the US ambassador has told him he's interested in preliminary talks with Tuvalu about restarting operations.

It's understood the Peace Corps has no plans to return to Papua New Guinea, a country which it also withdrew from in 1998.