Soviet Union and Vanuatu

Press, 19 December 1986, Page 20

Soviet Union and Vanuatu

Although some matters of payment have yet to be completed, the Soviet Union has obtained a fishing agreement with the Pacific State of Vanuatu, the former New Hebrides. It is the second such agreement between the Soviet Union and a small chain of Pacific islands, but now the only one: the earlier agreement, with Kiribati, has expired and the Soviet Union has not tried hard to renew it.

The agreement with Vanuatu differs considerably from that between the Soviet Union and Kiribati because the Soviet Union had no on-shore rights in Kiribati. Under the agreement with Vanuatu, the Soviet Union has rights to all ports in Vanuatu and may also have access to the trans-shipment facility of Palekula, recently vacated by Taiwan. The new agreement is thus of generally greater significance than the agreement between Kiribati and the Soviet Union. Problems of security and influence are more prominent. The Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Father Walter Lini, argues that because of Vanuatu’s small society it will be reasonably easy to observe if anything untoward is occurring in Vanuatu. No doubt there is considerable truth in that. The point is, however, that there are only a limited number of countries in the world which would attract suspicion of upsetting security or bringing unwelcome influence to bear; Vanuatu, one of the smallest countries in the world, is now dealing with the largest of those which would attract suspicion. The agreement is complicated in another way. When the Soviet Union arrived at an agreement with Kiribati, the object of the agreement could reasonably be assumed to be fish. Kiribati has tuna in its waters and the

Soviet Union fished for tuna. Kiribati is one of the three island countries which the United States has said must sign the new regional fishing agreement between the South Pacific and the United States. The other two are Papua New Guinea and the Federated States of Micronesia. These countries are those which have tuna in their Exclusive Economic Zones.

But there are few tuna in the waters around Vanuatu and the other fish are of varieties caught by local fishermen and of little interest commercially. There is thus some reason to believe that the Soviet. Union is paying for the shore facilities, rather than for fish.

Vanuatu has a great need for money and probably this need helped to make up the Government’s mind about the agreement with the Soviet Union. Tourism has fallen off since a disagreement between Ansett and Air Vanuatu. Vanuatu’s staple exports are fetching low prices. France, mightily displeased with Vanuatu’s role in bringing the issue of New Caledonia to the United Nations, has reduced its aid to Vanuatu. The reduction in aid has included the withdrawal of technical advisers, some of whom were meteorologists. This withdrawal comes at a particularly bad time because the hurricane season is about to begin.

Vanuatu regards itself as a non-aligned country; but France’s actions have probably been very influential in encouraging Vanuatu to look to the Soviet Union. France is one of the biggest donors of aid to the South Pacific. It is both ironical and unfortunate that it is one of the most disruptive influences in the Pacific as well.