Marshalls leaders cry

‘foul’ at U.S. action on Honolulu cable link

The United States is deliberately withholding communication ser vice to the Micronesian govern ments of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Mic ronesia, and Palau in the hope of pressuring the Micronesians into making further concessions to the U.S., according to a Republ ic of the Marshall Islands news release which quotes a Trust Ter ritory memo.

Until January 1, 1983, the Trust Territory government (TTPI) utilised a cable link bet ween its headquarters in Saipan and Honolulu for the exchange of messages with its Honolulu liaison office. The Micronesian governments were also permitted to use this link to communicate with their Honolulu offices. The communication link is main tained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and is still in place and still useable.

On January 1, 1983, TTPI closed its Honolulu liaison office and discontinued its use of the cable link. At the same time, TTPI denied use of the link to the Micronesian governments.

Since communication is still a major problem in most of Mic ronesia, Marshall Islands Presi dent Amata Kabua asked High Commissioner Janet McCoy of TTPI to allow continued use of the cable link at least until com pletion of a COMSAT satellite station which is now in the Mar shalls. Since the GSA communi cation officer in Honolulu (Mr Shimoda) is willing to provide the service, and since it would cost the TTPI nothing, no prob lem was expected by the Mar shallese government. But then it was learned that Neiman Craley of TTPI had advised the high commissioner to use the com munication service as a bargain ing chip, “in order to obtain an off-setting concession on their part”.

This advice was contained in a Craley memorandum obtained by

the Marshalls Republic which is reprinted here in its entirety: ‘‘On Friday afternoon (January 14) prior to our tele phone conversation, I asked Les King to contact GSA Honolulu and to ascertain the steps that would have to be taken in order to provide ‘dispatch’ service to the four Micronesian govern ments.. Accordingly, we have learned the following: “Mr Shimoda is willing to handle ‘hard copy communica tions traffic’ for the four (sic) Micronesian governments and will, if requested, bill TTPI or TIA for this service. He further agreed that his office in Room 916, 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Hon olulu, would accept outgoing traffic and hold incoming traffic for the four governments.

“While we have obtained the above information, we have put all future action on ‘hold’ until further notice.

“You might be interested in having this information in case this issue is raised by one or all of the three presidents. It defi nitely allows us ‘fall-back’ posi

tion if we are pressed hard enough and if you feel that a concession is desirable in order to obtain an off-setting conces sion on their part.

“Technically, we would have no involvement (except through our Bureau of Finance), as GSA would deal directly with the four governments, as relates to outgo ing and incoming traffic. Once a month, GSA would send us an itemised bill and we would mere ly pass this on to the four govern ments for processing. If they fail

to follow through (financially),

the service would be discontinued.

“I have discussed this matter with Les and neither of us see any major problem, if you decide to go this route. In the meantime, service has been discontinued and will not be reinstated unless we or TIA (Office of Territorial and International Affairs, De partment of the Interior) instruct GSA otherwise.”

Neiman Craley is a special assistant to High Commissioner

McCoy.

After learning of the

memorandum, Marshall Islands

Foreign Secretary Tony deßrum

said, “This is simply more proof, if any more is needed, that the United States does not begin to understand nor accept its duties and obligations as the UN appointed trustee of our Mic ronesian nations. As the trustee of our peoples, the United States should be helping to develop our young countries. Instead, the U.S. obstructs our progress, hin ders our development, and uses our basic needs as a weapon against us, as it is clearly doing in this case.”

“This sort of thing,” deßrum said, “has been going on for 35 years. We in the Marshall Islands have been living with this kind of treatment from the United States for all that time, while the rest of the world has remained either ignorant of our situation or deaf to our appeals.

“The three sovereign nations of Micronesia are, and always have been, friendly to the United States. We have always wished to build and maintain friendly relations with the United States.

But the United States insists on treating us as if we were a con quered, enemy nation that must be bludgeoned into total submis sion,” deßrum said.

“That is why,” deßrum said, “we are so dedicated to the termination of this onerous trus teeship and to getting the United States off our backs.”

Kabua: Wanted a line