The US Secretary of State will visit Port Moresby next week after President Joe Biden pulled out of the trip, Papua New Guinea's prime minister says.
There was disappointment in the PNG capital this week when Mr Biden cancelled what would have been the first-ever visit by a sitting US president.
James Marape announced Secretary of State Antony Blinken would be coming instead, after interrupting a press conference to take a phone call from Mr Biden.
"He has confirmed he'd directed Secretary Blinken to arrive here on Monday to meet with us for a specific bilateral with Papua New Guinea as well as a regional meeting with the Pacific island leaders," Mr Marape said.
"He conveyed his sincerest apologies that he cannot make it."
The White House said in a readout of the call between the pair that Mr Biden had invited Mr Marape and other Pacific leaders to Washington later this year for a second US summit of the Pacific Islands Forum.
Mr Marape also sought to ease public concerns about a proposed security agreement with the United States.
It comes after an alleged draft copy of the defence cooperation agreement that would potentially allow a substantial US military presence in PNG was leaked to several media organisations.
The United States embassy in Port Moresby would not say if the leaked documents were real, but said the "full final complete" version of the pact would be released in the future.
"As a matter of policy, we will not confirm the authenticity of these documents," a US embassy spokesperson said.
The PNG prime minister's office also would not confirm if the leaked draft agreement was legitimate, but Mr Marape on Tuesday told radio station 100FM his cabinet would consider the agreement on Wednesday, and he would reveal the full details on Thursday.
But on Thursday, Mr Marape said the agreement was still a work in progress, and was yet to be approved by cabinet.
"I know there are many commentaries running in the public space. Most commentaries are uninformed commentaries," he told reporters on Thursday afternoon.
"These documents will be transparent. Parliament will be privy to what is being proposed."
Leak indicates potential US military presence
Late on Monday, several media outlets in both PNG and Australia — including the ABC — were contacted by an anonymous source who claimed to work for the PNG government, but who refused to give their identity.
The source emailed journalists several screenshots they said showed excerpts of the draft agreement.
The screenshots seem to show the agreement text at an earlier phase of the negotiations between US and PNG officials.
The alleged draft agreement appeared to include wideranging provisions that would theoretically allow the American military to establish a substantial presence in the Pacific country.
The document sent to ABC journalists said the US would be able to use a host of PNG military and civilian facilities for "mutually agreed activities", including "visits; training; exercises, manoeuvres; transit; support and related activities; refuelling of aircraft; landing and recovery of aircraft; including aircraft that may conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities".
The draft document also appears to show US and PNG officials haggling over how to word the section that would potentially grant US personnel immunity from prosecution if they break the law in PNG.
Sections raised in the leaked drafts appeared to give substantial access of key PNG defence facilities like Lombrum naval base to the United States.
Mr Marape said the agreement would not give the US any "exclusive" rights to PNG facilities.
"The assets will remain Papua New Guinean assets, the first right of use will be Papua New Guinean use, including use for trade and use for public," he said.
"In the event, [the US] want to use it, they will always be asking our defence to have access to this facility. So it is tailored in a way where our national interest is protected, they have no exclusive right to these areas."
Mr Marape didn't confirm if the agreement would still be signed on Monday, as many expected it would be.
He did confirm a separate pact, the Shipriders Agreement, was ready to be signed.
The anonymous source told multiple journalists they wanted to stop the agreement being signed because they disagreed with it, and were worried the US might use PNG facilities as a port for nuclear-powered submarines.
But one Western government official told the ABC they were sceptical of that claim, and suggested a foreign government might be behind the leak.
The ABC put that allegation to the anonymous source, but they did not respond.
Funding for airports, infrastructure in pact
Mr Marape said the agreement would "add value to our domestic security, as well as strengthen our own military, our police, our navy".
"The USA has been a strong security partner of us, but silent, almost deep at the back. Now, for the first time now, they are stepping out, coming to the front, engaging with PNG like never before."
In a later statement, he emphasised the US would help PNG upgrade key military infrastructure under the pact.
"The Defence Cooperation and Shiprider agreements will see substantial funding for key infrastructure in our country, including ports and airports," Mr Marape said.
"It will mean deeper collaboration with our military for border protection, fighting illegal fishing and unregistered travel, among others."
