‘POLITICS WOULD KILL PACIFIC CONFERENCE’

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32406, 19 September 1970, Page 3

‘POLITICS WOULD KILL PACIFIC CONFERENCE’

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright)

SUVA, Sept. 18. If the South Pacific Conference became a political forum, it would kill itself, said New Zealand’s Minister for Maori and Island Affairs (Mr Maclntyre) in Suva yesterday. Mr Maclntyre, who is leading New Zealand’s delegation, said that some countries would be certain to retire from the conference, as not all would agree on decisions of a political nature taken. Papua-New Guinea was yesterday joined by Tonga; the Cook Islands and Fiji in pressing for the inclusion of political questions on the conference agenda. Mr Maclntyre said the conference’s budget was realistic, especially as the commission was still working out what its main role was to be. There was no possibility of New Zealand adopting an unrestricted immigration policy for the Pacific Islands, Mr ! Maclntyre said. i “Do you know of any country in the world that would give that?” he asked. I There must always be i some control. As Tonga and I Samoa were already inde- i

pendent, and Fiji would soon be the same, New Zealand must obviously review its total immigration policy in due course, the Minister said. Mr Maclntyre left for New Zealand yesterday after hav-

ing talks with Fiji’s chief Minister (Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara). He had to call off a proposed visit to the' Tokelau Islands because of transport difficulties. A Tongan delegate, Mr I. Faletau, said that changes had to be made to make the organisation more meaningful. There were occurrences in the Pacific which had no

resemblance to, or any relevance to, the well-being of people in the region. Fiji’s Minister for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives (Mr V. Singh) challenged the French contention that international technical-aid agencies did not discuss political matters. He had been to two meetings of the Economic Commission for Asia and Far East and, at both, controversial political affairs had been “ingeniously” brought into them.