By James Redmayne and Catarina Demony
APIA (Reuters) -The leaders of the Commonwealth grouping of nations met on Thursday ahead of a summit in the South Pacific nation of Samoa that will feature talks on climate change and the question of reparations for Britain's role in transatlantic slavery.
King Charles, the head of the grouping, is among the representatives of 56 countries, most with roots in Britain's empire, who are attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that began on Monday.
More than half of the Commonwealth's members are small nations, many of them low-lying islands at risk from rising sea levels caused by climate change.
Among them is Tuvalu, whose climate change minister, Maina Vakafua Talia, urged the grouping to strive for the Paris Accord's warming goal of 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F), calling new fossil fuel projects a "death sentence" for his country.
"We call on our wealthier partners to align themselves with this goal and not fan the flames of the climate crisis with fossil fuel expansion," he said.
Island leaders are expected to issue a declaration on ocean protection at the summit, with climate change being a central topic of discussion.
"Climate change is an existential threat," Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told a press conference after a meeting with counterparts.
"It is the No. 1 national security threat. It is the No. 1 economic threat to the peoples of the Pacific and to many members of the Commonwealth."
Zambia was among the African countries that warned of the rising impacts of climate change, including the effects on food security, she added.
On Thursday, Charles will be shown the impact of rising sea levels that are forcing people to move inland, a Samoan chief said.
Ocean temperatures are rising in the Pacific Islands at three times the global rate, Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, has said, leaving their people "uniquely exposed" to the impact of rising sea levels.
Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa welcomed the assembled leaders at a banquet, among them Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, wearing a colourful "bula" shirt, while his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, wore a dark suit.
REPARATIONS PUSH
Also on the agenda is a push for Britain to pay reparations or make other amends for transatlantic slavery, a long-standing demand that has recently gained momentum worldwide, particularly among the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union.
On Monday, Starmer said Britain would not bring the issue of reparations for slavery to the table at the summit and would not apologise, but was open to engage with leaders who want to discuss it.
He wanted to "look forward rather than looking backwards", he told reporters.
But a CARICOM source familiar with the matter told Reuters CHOGM presented an "important opportunity" for dialogue on reparations and the region, which groups countries such as Barbados and Jamaica, would be raising the issue there.
Eric Phillips, of CARICOM'S commission to seek reparations from former colonial powers such as Britain, France and Portugal, said he did not understand the relevance of the Commonwealth if Starmer "takes this cruel approach".
Discussions were taking place "behind the scenes" in Samoa, however, said Kingsley Abbott, director of London University's Institute of Commonwealth Studies, who is attending the summit.
There were paragraphs in the summit's draft conclusion calling for a discussion on reparations, Bahamas Foreign Minister Frederick Mitchell told the BBC, adding, "CARICOM countries want the conversation to start."
Opponents of reparations payments say countries should not be held responsible for historical wrongs, while those in favour say the legacy of slavery has led to vast and persistent racial inequality today.
"Whenever those affected by atrocities ask to talk, there should always be a willingness to sit down and listen," Abbott said.
From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly taken by European ships and merchants and sold into slavery.
Those who survived the brutal voyages ended up toiling on plantations in inhumane conditions in the Americas, mostly in Brazil and the Caribbean, while others profited from their labour.