THE PRESS TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1982. South Pacific issues

Press, 10 August 1982, Page 22

THE PRESS TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1982. South Pacific issues

The issues before, the South Pacific Forum meeting in Rotorua are. all important to the region. They are generally issues that have been raised before; the fact that they recur year after year means that they have not been resolved. One of the most important was the fishing rights question, raised yesterday. This concerns the fact that the United States has still not agreed to recognise highly migratory species of fish, in this instance tuna, as coming under the jurisdiction of coastal States. The point may seem technical; but a number of the smaller members of the South Pacific Forum have almost no marketable resources other than the fish that surround their islands or pass through waters close to their islands. The United States, which occasionally' shows signs of wanting to meet the demands of the small Pacific countries, faces pressure from its fishing industry. The American industry does not want highly migratory species of fish to be considered as part of the resources of any country’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The South Pacific Forum has adopted an approach of regional co-operation on fishing resources. In 1979 the members established the Forum Fisheries Agency. This is one of the bodies which attempts to deal with the region’s- problems in a practical way. New Zealand and Australia each pay one-third of the agency’s budget and the remaining third is divided among the other Forum countries. Because tuna is the most valuable species that some island countries have, these countries are particularly anxious that their claims to the fish are recognised internationally. Linked with this is the problem of the' United States’ refusal to sign the Law of the Sea treaty' New Zealand has protested about the American refusal on a number of occasions. Although the United States is one of the few countries not to sign the treaty, the purpose of the whole exercise was to have an internationally recognised code on rights of coastal States, on the passage through international waters, and

on a host of other matters. The very existence of Exclusive Economic Zones arises out of the Law of the Sea negotiations. Among the 13 countries represented in Rotorua, the most impatient about independence for New Caledonia has proved to be Vanuatu. The extent to which Vanuatu will be able to persuade the other countries to take the same attitude remains to be seen. The fact that the independence movement in New Caledonia is led by fellow Melanesians has great importance for Vanuatu. The other Forum members are keen to ensure that Vanuatu, the former New Hebrides, remains closely tied to the South Pacific Forum. Any unilateral decisions by Vanuatu could have repercussions throughout the Pacific; Impatience may not be the most effective method of encouraging the independence of New Caledonia. Even the cautious approach being taken by the Government of President Mitterrand, of France, towards a form of independence and land reform has just provoked a fierce demonstration within the legislative chamber in New Caledonia.

Attempts to share ideas on fisheries, Law of the Sea, and independence for a territory, demonstrate the usefulness of the South Pacific Forum. The body has evolved in a way that it makes it pre-eminently suitable to consider the questions of the region. From time to time in the past it has tended to concentrate on the detail of regional arrangements and has thereby caused some irritation among some of its members. However, it now seems to be sorting out the issues of moment in -the region and to be seeking to deal with them. In doing this the Forum serves a purpose not served by any other body. Some of the issues may not be resolved at all, but a number of problems will be eased and the combined effort tends to produce many voices in concert when, on their own, South Pacific voices would be thin and might be unnecessarily out of tune.