Successful, worthwhile,

but so dull!

From PI M’s Assistant Editor, JOHN CARTER, in Apia

There’s never been such a gathering of South Pacific j leaders as there was at the Fourth South Pacific Forum I here on April 17—a three-day meeting of leaders of I seven countries, with two more as observers. But it was iso dull that some journalists used their imagination to ■ create headlines—and produced the only discordant note, a protest by NZ Prime Minister Norman Kirk at leakages from the secret sessions and at reports of clashes between i Forum members which Mr Kirk said never took place. : You couldn’t blame the reporters, perhaps. It was non information that was doled out by a spokesman at the end of each day’s closed meeting. There surely had to be something dramatic when you got together the President lof Nauru, the Prime Ministers of Australia, NZ, Fiji, Western Samoa, Tonga and the Cooks, with the Chief Minister of Papua New Guinea and the Leader of [Government in Niue as observers.

There was initial apprehension among Island leaders fin case Australia and NZ tried the Big Brother act at the meeting, but Mr Gough Whitlam and Mr Kirk, with ■strong teams, got down to business with an air of “we’re I all equals”.

Only two agenda items were expected to create fire- I works—French nuclear tests, and a complaint from Fiji I Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara that Australian and NZ trade unions were interfering in Fiji’s sovereignty in their objection to Fiji’s industrial relations legislation |(see p 5).

The Forum condemned the tests, reaffirming “strong ■opposition to these tests which expose peoples as well as their environment to radioactive fallout against their wishes and without benefit to them, and which demonstrate deplorable indifference to their future well being”. Western Samoa promptly cabled the resolution to France, and Mr Whitlam promised to speak to British Prime Minister Ted Heath when he saw him in London, where he was headed after Apia. There was talk of [members joining an action against France before the International Court, planned by Australia, if costs weren’t [prohibitive.

Ratu Mara protested against trade union interference under the head of “regional co-operation”. Outside the meeting place—the Western Samoan Prime Minister’s official residence at Pilot Point—he had already been rather bellicose, voicing his suspicions of Australia’s motive in proposing that the Islands should send their Labour ministers to a conference around October, which would also involve Asian ministers. Ratu Mara considered this a move to defuse the trade union issue at the Forum. But the Australian meeting had been suggested before Ratu Mara’s complaint was made, and observers expected a row to develop between Fiji, Australia and NZ Prime Ministers over the point.

It didn’t materialise. Ratu Mara mentioned the matter ■late on the first day, then slept on it. Next day he got what he termed a sympathetic hearing from all, and [accented the Australian plan for a conference about

[October.

Some of the visiting Journalists cabled stories about Ratu Mara having jeopardised the Forum’s future, which he didn’t. Ratu Mara knew that such a hot potato was bound to be handled “in the Pacific way”, with members coming to agreement after talking around it. Messrs Whitlam and Kirk themselves settled down quickly to this “Pacific way”.

With the trade union matter disposed of, the Forum continued with run-of-the-mill stuff on regional shipping, civil aviation, telecommunications, education and the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation (SPEC).

There were complaints of persistent illegal fishing by foreign ships, mainly Japanese and Russian, in Island waters, and NZ agreed to present a detailed analysis at the next Forum. Again, a regional Island shipping line was discussed as a way of improving services and pro moting trade, but it was agreed that work on this, being done by SPEC, should be integrated with the regional trade study SPEC is also engaged in.

PNG’s Chief Minister Michael Somare was keenly interested, and it is probably no coincidence that PNG’s interest comes at a time when PNG freight rates are going up again. Australia agreed to provide an expert to help with the investigations, which will include a study of the present joint service operated by Tonga and Nauru. The next Forum should, finally, have something to get its teeth into on shipping.

SPEC was given another job— to co-ordinate UN and other agencies in planning an adequate telecommunica tions network. SPEC will also help Fiji, Tonea and Western Samoa achieve an association with the European Economic Community.

But, in the words of the official Forum spokesman, Premier Albert Henry of the Cooks, the “most exciting” part of the Forum was the discussion about the South Pacific Commission. Australia and NZ announced that each planned to offer $250,000 to the SPC as a voluntary contribution to the 1974 budget, both leaders stressing that the money was not for salaries or overheads. As Mr Kirk put it bluntly outside the Forum, “It’s a challenge to the SPC to produce action, which it hasn’t done up till now, always claiming that lack of money has affected it. So now we offer the money to give it the chance to be effective, rise to the occasion and revive itself. But we don’t want the half million dollars soaked up in everyday work of the commission.”

Inside the Forum, Messrs Whitlam and Kirk got promises of Forum backing for a move at the next South Pacific Conference (in Guam in September) to change the SPC budgetary system to one of voluntary contributions.

Under the present system of fixed percentages, any one SPC member can veto an increase by other members— as France did in 1972 (PIM, Nov, p 24). This was perhaps the most significant Forum decision. It was a demonstration of the Forum as a pressure group.

Changes for the SPC are certain. Australia has made proposals in a confidential document now being studied by governments, with this matter of voluntary con tributions the main change suggested. It does not propose, as some observers have suggested, a merger of the SPC and the Forum, The Fourth South Pacific Forum was a success, because Australia and NZ are now firmly committed to regional co-operation. Prime Minister Whitlam who is the first Australian Prime Minister to attend a Forum, spelt it out for PIM, exclusively, this way: “Australia is anxious to plav a constructive, helpful role in the South Pacific, especially in view of the economic activities of certain firms in the past. Australia has renentlv established a SAIS million three-year (1972-75) aid programme for the South Pacific. My government plans to take greater interest in the South Pacific. Regionalism will be the keynote of Australian foreign policy in the ’7os. Australia is anxious to assist in developing regional co-operation in all ways possible in Asia and the Pacific. The Forum itself has a great role in bringino this about.”

He added that Australia was looking for ways of improving the access of less-developed countries in the Pacific to the Australian market.