Palau leader’s death tragic—Mr Palmer

Press, 3 July 1985, Page 23

Palau leader’s death tragic—Mr Palmer

PA Wellington The assassination of President Haruo Remeliik of Belau was on Monday described by the Acting Prime Minister, Mr Palmer, as a tragedy. Mr Palmer described Mr Remeliik as one of Micronesia’s foremost political leaders. He was killed on Sunday. Mr Palmer said his death was a blow to the whole Pacific. The Prime Minister, Mr Lange, had been looking forward to meeting Mr Remeliik at next month’s meeting of the South Pacific Forum in Rarotonga. Mr Remeliik, the 4-year-

old republic’s first President, was re-elected last year. He was to have led a delegation to support Palau’s application to join the Forum’s fisheries agency. “President Remeliik’s move to associate his country with this important aspect of South Pacific cooperation, and generally to identify with South Pacific concerns, was welcomed by New Zealand,” Mr Palmer said. Palau’s population of 15,000 is spread through a string of 200 islands 1000 km south of Guam. It has sought to end its status since World War II of being a United Nations

strategic trust territory under United States administration. The United States has objected to strong sovereign land-protection and antinuclear clauses in the republic’s Constitution. Political observers say the United States had indicated it wanted to take over a third of Palau’s land for military airfields, a submarine port, and a jungle warfare training zone. The United States Assistant Defence Secretary, Mr Richard Armitage, has also said that Palau would be an important fall-back base should the United States lose its strategic nuclear bases in the Philippines.