Leaders’ picnic at Tambea mends Pacific fences

Press, 10 July 1979, Page 3

Leaders’ picnic at Tambea mends Pacific fences

From

CEDRIC MENTIPLAY

in Honiara

Fences were mended and the future of the South Pacific Forum was assured in a fantastic meeting-of-minds at a leaders-only picnic at the secluded resort of Tambea c. Sunday afternoon, in addition to a surprisingly smooth session of the forum in Honiara yesterday. Little remains to be done at today’s concluding session. A Communique is being prepared in general

terms, but yesterday’s results were achieved with a minimum of friction.

There was not even heated argument over the question as to whether the representatives of States close to in Impendence should be admitted as observers. The verdict was unanimous: That this could be done only when the timetable of independence was known beforehand, as in the case of Kiribati (the Gilbert Islands), which attains its

independence this week. The case of the deputation from New Caledonia was mentioned, but if was decided that as this represented only the five parties wanting independence, which in themselves comprised less than half the Legislative Assembly, it could not have observer status. The South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency agreement was agreed to in principle by all members, though some, including Australia,

will not be able to sign the document until it is fully approved by their Governments.

The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (Dr T. R. A. Davis) was given the task of communicating details of the progress made to representatl.es of the news media. He gave a highly polished and informative account of proceedings — possibly the best since that of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara (Fiji) some years ago. The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) was first offered the task, but declined, saying it was best in the hands of one of the younger nations.

Another gain was virtual agreement in a regional trade understanding between Australia, New Zealand and th. Pacific nations. Dr Davis said it was similar to the trade arrangement already existing between New Zealand and the Cook Islands, whereby 86 per cent of Cook Islands produce had free entry to New Zealand. The Australian percentage has also been high, and the Islands are assured i of full markets if they can overcne freight problems. The problem of independence for French territories in the Pacific brought the first glimpse of division. Both Mr Muldoon and the Australian representative (Mr Anthony) supported the view, however, that the forum was not the appro-1 priate place in which to discuss individual cases. The P„oua New Guinea representative (Mr Olewale) pressed for the naming of France in a minute to the United Nations, but in its final form the approved minute mentions only the general desire for “decolonialisation.”

The forum will protest to the United States about a proposal to dump nuclear waste on Palmyra Island in the Pacific, and will ask the Americans to take it elsewhere, reports a NZPA staff correspondent. Mr Muldoon, made this statement yesterday before the meeting opened. “We do not want nuclear waste in the South Pacific,” he said.

Palmyra is about 1500 kilometres north of the Cook Islands near the Equator. Uninhabited, it was used by the United States Navy and Air Force during World War II and is administered by the United States Department of the Interior.