The US Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, has told leaders of U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands in Washington that he will be visiting their island communities next month.
Mr Kempthorne says he is looking forward to gaining a better understanding of their needs and a fuller discussion of their concerns.
He will be travelling to Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Marianas, as well as to the Freely Associated States, which are Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.
