‘Guarded’ Pacific hopes on U.S.

Press, 25 February 1986, Page 26

‘Guarded’ Pacific hopes on U.S.

NZPA staff correspondent Washington

South Pacific nations hope that new indications of United States resolve to work with them will be reflected in consideration of the South Pacific nuclear-free zone, Mr David McDowell, New Zealand’s representative at the United Nations, has said in Washington. Speaking at a Smithsonian associates seminar on New Zealand, he said the South Pacific was not fooling itself' that the treaty represented a big step forward in global disarmament terms.

“But it is important to South Pacific people who have seen their views disregarded for too long,” he said.

“The long and tortuous effort to reduce and restrict the deployment and use of nuclear and other arms stockpiles has to start somewhere.

“If you recall that the Latin-American nuclearfree zone and Antarctic treaty area — also nuclear free — link up to

the South Pacific zone you are beginning to cover a fair bit of the surface of the globe,” said Mr McDowell, a former New Zealand High Commissioner to Suva and who, for a number of years, ran New Zealand’s external aid programme. Mr McDowell, in his lecture, touched on recent developments in formation of a Pacific fisheries agreement and an environmental pact that would prohibit the dumping of radioactive waste in the area.

It was no secret that the actions in the South Pacific of American Tunaboat Association boats had in recent years badly damaged Washington’s standing in the area, he said.

"Countries sensitive about their sovereignty and dependent on the ocean for virtually all their resources have been outraged by the disregard often shown both for local sensitivities and for international law by A.T.A. skippers.” But now, said Mr

McDowell, there was reason for “guarded optimism” as consultation with active United States participation was beginning to show signs of agreement between the South Pacific region and the United States governing the exploitation of fishing resources.

Some advance had also been made on the'“politically charged” question of radioactive waste dumping.

Since concessions by the United States in December it looked possible that an international convention on protecting the natural resources of the South Pacific could be ready for final consideration this year, he said.

Mr McDowell was echoing a statement this month by the United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, Dr Paul Wolfowitz, who said in a television interview that with one dr two exceptions “which may be important and still difficult,” the necessary elements of a

fishing agreement seemed to be “in place.”

The next round of talks was planned for Canberra in late March, when the difficult issue of licence fees might be addressed.

Dr Wolfowitz said that because there was a political will on the part of the United States and the Pacific Forum fisheries agency to reach an agreement, he was confident it could be achieved.

He described the fishing issue as an unfortunate and serious irritant in relations between the United States and Pacific nations.

Dr Wolfowitz also referred to "important progress” being made on the environmental pact with the prospect of a signing later this year.

As a concession, the United States had agreed to prohibit the dumping of radioactive waste within an environmental convention area, limited to the 200-nautical-mile zone of

member States, plus enclosed pockets of high seas.

“This was an exception to. our basic position on radioactive waste disposal, and I think it was an exception that was well worth taking, given the very important sensitivity on the subject in the South Pacific.

“It was in consideration of the strong feelings in that region on nuclear matters that we agreed to a policy that is an exception to the broader international legal arrangements that we think have to be adopted worldwide,” he said.

Dr Wolfowitz said the draft convention would be an effective way of dealing with the serious environmental problems in the region such as pollution from agricultural run-off, from pesticides and fertilisers, from sewage and other toxic substances, and for co-opera-tion in combating oil spills.