GOVERNOR EMPHASIZES HAWAI`I ROLE IN ASIA PACIFIC

Governor Lingle recognized the international achievements of U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye and emphasized Hawai`i's emerging role in the Asia-Pacific region at an annual dinner for the East-West Center. 

The Governor spoke of her experiences at the recent Pacific Island Conference of Leaders, organized by the East-West Center, where Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called 2007 the "Year of the Pacific."  "If we in the State of Hawai`i continue to succeed, as we have been doing, this will not just be the "Year of the Pacific," it will truly be the Hawai`i Century," Governor Lingle said.
 
Senator Inouye, one of the founding fathers of the East-West Center in 1960, was honored with the Asia Pacific Community Building Award for his contributions in promoting U.S. relations within the Asia Pacific region.