‘Planetary bargain’ proposed by visitor

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34127, 13 April 1976, Page 29

‘Planetary bargain’ proposed by visitor

(Fom the Wellington reporter of “The Press")

A new international economic order —a “planetary bargain”— involving new international institutions to consider all related fields in the context of each other, was outlined by the 1976. John F. Kennedy Memorial fellow visiting New Zealand (Mr Harlan Cleveland) in Wellington.

He said that New Zealand had a “bridge-building potential,” taking relative size into account, perhaps even greater than the United States, because economically and socially it had a foot in the camps of both the. developed and under-developed nations.

Mr Cleveland is a former United States Assistant Secretary of State for international organisational affairs under President Kennedy, and a former United

States ambassador to N.A.T.O.

A “planetary bargain” would be a new concept in international affairs because it would have to arise outside the traditional framework of international institutes, and because it would involve factors which had traditionally been controlled nationally rather than internationally. “Some willingness to submit domestic plans to international scrutiny may be necessary if any new international economic order is to work,” he said. This bargaining would begin and be continued either with or without the United Nations because there was now a greater degree of responsibility among world leaders. It would, however, be difficult for third world countries to participate at first because there had so far been no third world “think tank” looking at the problems

from their special point of view. “Still, even the United States is not ready for it yet, because even though we have had think tanks looking at the situation, international interdependence is not yet politically acceptable,” Mr Cleveland said. “The impetus for achievement of planetary bargaining is inherent in the subject, but its pace and tactics will depend on comparitively few leaders for nations. New Zealand is well placed to lead because of its potential empathy with a number of points of view.” He spent some time today redrafting his speech, but denied that these changes had been influenced by what he had learnt so far about New Zealand during his visit. He said he had not learnt enough yet to alter the approach he wished to adopt. Mr Cleveland will be in Christchi|rch today and will deliver his address on the same subject at Ham this evening.