3 Dec 2007

Cook Island's Cabinet to meet this week to finalise funding for Pacific Mini Games

6:02 am on 3 December 2007

The Cook Island's cabinet will meet this week to finalise the funding for the 2009 Pacific mini games.

The Mini Games are due to go ahead in September 2009, and a large proportion of the funding is due to come from the Chinese Government.

The minister responsible for the Mini Games, Wilkie Rassmussen, says Cabinet has held talks with Chinese officials over two possible sources of funding for the games.

He says one is a loan of about 12 million US dollars, and the other is a grant, of around 11 million, which could be held up by a long process and delay the building of the stadium for the games.

"It is money that is committed to the Cook Islands, and if we go for the loan, that's seperate funding. The grant is still there, and it is still for projects that we wish to raise with the Chinese. It is still available to us for roadwork projects that we had previously proposed to them."

Wilkie Rasmussen says if China can't meet its commitments, the Government will use some of its reserve funds.