More Soviet fishing

Press, 24 June 1986, Page 20

More Soviet fishing

The comment from the Fijian Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, that Fiji is discussing a fishing agreement with the Soviet Union appears to have caught a number of South Pacific countries by surprise. When Kiribati negotiated an agreement with the Soviet Union last year, Ratu Mara showed some alarm. Now it seems as if he is thinking that allowing the Soviet Union to fish in the South Pacific may not be such a bad idea after all. His thinking may be influenced by the fact that Japanese interests intend to pull out of a cannery in Fiji by the end of the year and it looks as if the Fijian Government will have to take the cannery over. In this event, Fiji would need to ensure an adequate supply of fish to be processed. The agreement between Kiribati and the Soviet Union is due for renewal soon. The Soviet Union did not catch as many fish as expected and it will be interesting to see if the Soviet Union is prepared to pay sAust2.4 million to fish in Kiribati’s waters. Vanuatu has also been holding discussions over Soviet fishing. Because of the possibility of receiving substantial sums of money from the Soviet Union for fishing rights, some of the South Pacific States have become less willing to discuss their dealings with other South Pacific States.

The willingness of the Soviet Union to pay for fishing rights in the South Pacific has contrasted sharply with the attitude of the American Tuna Boat Association, whose members have caught tuna where they wanted to in the Pacific. The United States Government has taken steps to improve that situation; but nothing final has yet been resolved.

The fishing agreement with Kiribati and the discussions with Vanuatu have caused concern among the South Pacific States. If a fishing agreement between Fiji and the Soviet Union is concluded, it would be difficult to persuade any of the smaller States that a Soviet fishing agreement is not in its own

interests or in the interests of the region.

It is worth while inquiring about the priorities of the Soviet Union at the present time. Dr Jerry F. Hough, professor of political science at Duke University (who gave a talk in the United States Information Agency office in Christchurch last Friday), argues in a recent article in the magazine, “Foreign Affairs,” that the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev is a different country from what it was under Mr Gorbachev’s predecessors. He argues that Mr Gorbachev’s priorities are economic development, and a great emphasis on technology. Mr Gorbachev wants, Dr Hough argues, Soviet manufacturers to become more advanced and he wants them to learn to export so that their products will become more competitive with the manufactures of other countries.

This drive, according to Dr Hough, is combined with a greater willingness to be more flexible in foreign policy outlook instead of seeing the world in terms of the East-West confrontation, the characteristic attitude of Leonid Brezhnev and other recent Soviet leaders. Dr Hough believes that some of the smaller countries and the developing world will be the areas on which the Soviet Union will concentrate. The important aspect of this drive is that it is not trade for the sake of foreign policy gains, but trade for the purpose of improving the standard of life within the Soviet Union.

Care needs to be taken in any negotiation and questions need to be asked about the motives of any country. Fiji is examining what the Soviet Union is offering and what it wants. The Soviet Union has an appalling record of interference in many parts of the world, but needs to trade as other countries do. The South Pacific would be al) the better if the practice of talking openly was continued. One of the worst developments would be the development of an attitude of secretiveness about what was going on.