Nuclear-Free
p. 30 · Read in the full issue
Pacific Nearer
From VANESSA GRIFFIN in Suva
The proposal for a Nuclear Free Pacific is not merely a trial balloon, but a serious attempt by people in the Pacific to protect themselves and their environment. The problem now is to win strong government support for the proposal and have it inter nationally presented and recognised.
The first step to this goal was an approach to the leaders at the Com monwealth Conference in Jamaica in early May. The Continuing Com mittee for the Conference for a Nuclear Free Pacific sent telegrams and information on the proposal to the delegates, and urged them to raise the issue at the Jamaica gathering.
Before leaving for the conference, the New Zealand Government ex pressed its support and said it would raise the subject at the meeting. Ap parently, the Australian Government had expressed disapproval of this and tried to pressurise the New Zea land Government out of it. A direct conflict with ANZUS treaty obligations was apparently seen.
However, since the Commonwealth Conference, the Australian and Fiji governments have come out in sup port of the proposal. New Zealand intends taking the proposal to the UN General Assembly in Septem ber and according to a statement by Fiji Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kami sese Mara, Australia and Fiji “will be strongly backing the UN proposal and hope that something will come out of it”.
Meanwhile, the Conference for a Nuclear Free Pacific has sent a dele gation to the UN Trusteeship Council and the Committee of 24 to present their proposal and what they see as the wider question—the continuing existence of colonialism and imperial ism in the Pacific.
The delegation of Micronesians, an Australian aborigine and a New Cale donian, presented petitions expressing concern about the US plebiscite in the Marianas and the desire for self determination by nationalist groups in New Caledonia. The plebiscite on commonwealth status, if agreed to, will enable the US to use the Marianas as its major base for nuclear and missile testing and military installations.
Indications are that those wanting a nuclear-free Pacific will get a favourable UN hearing.