Shipping, air services: SPEC

takes on the big ones

Shipping and air services in the Pacific region are to be the sub ject of a year-long survey by the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation (SPEC).

The survey, being done on a sub-contractual basis, is largely funded by a grant of $U5450,000 from the United Nations De velopment Program (UNDP).

Its aim is to help find ways to improve shipping and air trans port services and facilities within the Pacific region and it is hard to imagine two matters more vitally important to region

al well-being.

According to a SPEC press release, the shipping aspect of the survey will include: • Proposals for the consolida tion and more efficient and economical operation of existing services on main trunk routes, with main attention directed to the Pacific Forum Line; • Investigation of possibilities for the introduction of new, com mercially viable, feeder route services between Pacific countries; • In cases where countries have requested it, advice on ways of strengthening domestic

shipping services, including their

relationships to feeder and trunk route services, cargo-handling methods, and the most approp riate size and type of vessel for the domestic shipping operations concerned.

With regard to air services, the survey will: • Review ways to achieve greater co-ordination among the

schedules of Pacific air carriers, and foster joint marketing and route development initiatives which can contribute to the growth of tourism and to the financial viability of regional airlines; • Review ways to promote air freight services; • Study and make recommen dations on the possibilities of the pooling of aircraft and ground service facilities; and • Make recommendations for joint initiatives in training, air craft maintenance, fuel contracting, and standardisation of equipment all with the purpose of cutting operating costs of air services.

Findings and recommenda tions of the survey will be pre sented to Forum country govern ments, and then to regional ship ping companies and airlines.

Sombre thoughts

from Kiribati

President leremia Tabai of Kiribati, speaking at the meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government in New Delhi in late November, expressed his gov ernment’s deep concern at the

deteriorating international

situation.

He said that the South Pacific was known for its comparative

peace, and for its remoteness from the world’s trouble spots.

However, he said. South Pacific countries could no longer go on believing that they were safe and insulated from what was happen ing in other parts of the world.

“Small Island states”, he said, “feel particularly vulnerable.

“At independence four years ago the people of Kiribati felt great jubilation, and a real sense of security. But, since then, with bigger countries subduing small and weaker ones, there appears to be no reason for anyone to feel at ease.

“It is now very rare to find any strong country or big company willing to pay due regard to the interests of weak nations”.

He concluded: “It is my hope that the Commonwealth will find it possible to do something to improve the security of all the peoples of the world”.

FSM urges quick

yes to compact

A resolution urging “expeditious approval” by the US Congress of the Compact of Free Association between the Micronesian politic al entities and the United States was passed at a November con ference of chief executives of the Federated States of Micronesia on Ponape.

The conference also asked the FSM Government to seek more future land-use rights funds from the US Government.

Samoa to switch

Timor attitude?

Western Samoa will change its vote on East Timor at the United Nations this year in favor of Indonesia, according to Lieuten ant-General Sudharmono, In donesia’s minister of state.

Speaking in Jakarta late in November at the end of an offi cial visit to Indonesia by Western Samoa Prime Minister Tofilau

Polynesian Airlines has added a new Nomad aircraft to its fleet, to operate on short haul routes out of Faleolo Airport, Western Samoa. The aircraft, which was a government to government gift from Australia to Western Samoa, will operate mainly to American Samoa and to Vavau in the far north of Tonga. Picture shows the Nomad in its Polynesian livery

shortly before leaving Sydney.

President Tabai