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And Was His Face Red!

New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Mr Bob Muldoon, has just dis covered Tonga. For some weeks he has been storming about Russian ships in the Indian Ocean. Now he’s finally expressed concern at Russian interest in Tonga.

Tongan government officials have freely admitted they are hop ing Russia will help them build an international airport, and that they are negotiating for an on-shore or mother ship fishing base to serve the Russian feet.

New Zealanders watching their Prime Minster make much of the Indian Ocean threat to “ships bringing vital oil” to their shores got a huge laugh when it was revealed that a Security Intelligence Service investigator had questioned a Tongan govern ment officer, simply because a Soviet Embassy official had called at his home.

Mr Liufau Saulala said he had told the SIS man “what he wanted to know”.

That was, simply, that the Rus

sian had called to deliver a flag, and music for the Russian national anthem. They were sent to Tonga for use as a normal diplomatic courtesy when the Soviet am bassador, Mr Oleg Selyaninov, visited Tonga to present his credentials, With that mystery cleared up, t^ie S° v * ets to °k initiative, Their ambassador invited Prime Minister Muldoon home for tea, two s P ent seven hours dis cussing what both agree were wide

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on foreign involvement lhg Padfic camg fmm /ormer Prime of State. Sir Keith He said New Zealand mml ow „ did nol affect thg economies of its Padfic “ Without a reasonable degree of prosperity, the Pacific region will not continue to enjoy peaceful and co-operative development,” Sir Keith said.