Soviet foothold in Tonga unlikely

Press, 15 October 1976, Page 4

Soviet foothold in Tonga unlikely

From LES BLOXHAM Suva

There now appears little possibility of the Soviet Union gaining an economic foothold in Tonga, according to its Prime Minister (Prince Tuipelahaki) in Suva yesterday.

New Zealand and Tonga’s

other neighbours in the South Pacific had less cause for concern now than they might have had earlier in the year, said Prince Tuipelahaki, who is the King of Tonga’s younger brother.

It was understandable that Tonga’s neighbours were worried about a possible Soviet presence in the kingdom. “Even we ourselves have that feeling,” he said. “We are not going to leap into anything.”

Prince Tuipelahaki agreed that Tonga would prefer to be economically associated with the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. “We like to deal with our friends, and if we can do without the help of certain countries that are not desirable, we will do that,” he said. Was the Prime Minister classifying the Soviet Union as undesirable? “I won’t say that now. Perhaps it should be unprinted thinking,” he said. “I prefer not to say it at the present time." Tonga was learning from the experiences of other countries. “When Russia gets into a place, it is very difficult to get her out, no matter what conditions you start off with,” Prince Tuipelahaki said.

Asked at what stage were the negotiations with the Russians regarding the establishment of either a fishing base or an airport, Prince Tuipelahaki said that there had been just one meeting. Tonga had not sought any further meetings. “We have not agreed to have another meeting," he

said. “At this stage, we are sitting on the fence.” Tonga, he said, had received several offers of aid from other countries since the Soviet Union’s interest in the area had been made public. “But we have nothing in writing yet,” he said. “There has been plenty of talk, but we like to see things in black and white.” He confirmed that the latest offer, from France, to help with a new airport, had been only a verbal one. Prince Tuipelahaki made it clear that Tonga was still determined to proceed with its stated policy of establishing a fishing industry and improving its airport. “Our policy still stands,” he said. “Perhaps some other country will provide the necessary aid, or maybe we will have the money to do the job ourselves.” The Prime Minister of Western Samoa (Mr Tupula Fei) also said in Suva that his country had received no further offer of aid from the Soviet Union. “The whole matter is in a state of lull,” he said.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) referred briefly at his press conference on Wednesday evening to the Soviet interest in the South Pacific.

“It is very clear that all these Pacific countries, are, at a Government level, very determined to stick together,” he said.

Australia announced at the forum that it would boost its aid to the South Pacific by 400 per cent — to S67M over the next three years.