PORT VILA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Delegates from 14 countries of the Post Forum Dialogues Partners (PFDP) met in the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila on Friday, focusing on the impacts of the global economic crisis and compounding vulnerability caused by the impacts of climate change.

At a press conference following the dialogue meeting, new Forum chair, Vanuatu Prime Minister Edward Nipake Natapei said he briefed dialogue partners the key outcomes of the 41st Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting which ended here on Thursday.

He called for the dialogue parnters to provide assistance and support for the sustainable development of the Pacific island countries, and help the island countries to cope with the climage change global economic and financial crisis challenges.

Natapei told reporters that that "climate change remains the greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific, especially the Small Islands States.

He said, as Fiji is the major economic power in the South Pacific, the Forum leaders agreed that Fiji will be involved in the PACER (Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations) Plus negotiations, but only at official level.

Fiji was suspended from the Forum on May 1, 2009 after it failed to meet the deadline to announce the general elections date.

The Forum leaders and their dialogue partners held interactive dialogue on the decisions of the Port Vila Declaration with a focus on priority issues for the region, including climate change, maritime boundaries, trade, energy and transport.

Head of the Chinese delegation, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai and Du Qiwen, China's special envoy to the China- Pacific Islands Forum Dialogue, attended the dialogue meeting.

As part of the agenda of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the regional organization in Pacific has held PFDP meeting at Ministerial level since 1989. The PFDP groups Canada, China, the European Union France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Britain and the United States.

A series of bilateral meetings was also held on the sidelines of the Forum meeting.