N.Z. speakers at seminar

Press, 25 February 1987, Page 9

N.Z. speakers at seminar

By

BRENDON BURNS

in Wellington

A number of New Zealand will be among speakers at a seminar in Washington next week on “Instruments of Soviet policy in the South Pacific.”

A seminar organiser has declined, however, to name those attending. Dr Dennis Bark, a political scientist at the

Hoover Institution of Stanford Uhiversity, California, said only that speakers and others attending ' included journalists, businessmen, former Govemrhent officials, and academics. These were mainly drawn from Australia; New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea, as well as the United States. Another speaker will be the United States Secretary of the Navy, Mr John Lehman. 1 Dr Bark said none of those addressing the seminar were expected to focus on New Zealand’s anti-nuclear policies. “We are not interested in New Zealand’s foreign policy; But I am quite sure someone is going to raise that question.” The. Hoover Institution, which researches policial issues, began a series of studies on Soviet foreign policy in 1983. Since then, seminars have examined Soviet influence in the Caribbean and Latin America, Western Europe and Africa. “The ’idea comes from the fact that a lot of attentioii has focused recently on the South Pacific. Obviously New Zealand is tone cause,” said Dr Bark. “We concluded not nearly enough is heard of" issues and questions which exist for peoples of the South Pacific.” t