US regional policy’

Soviets ‘threat to US regional policy’

The South Pacific’s strategic importance to the US was highlighted by Acting Assistant Secretary of State John Monjo in his testimony before the House Appropriations Committee sub commit tee on foreign affairs.

The following are excerpts: For the first time since World War II we are faced with a hostile power attempting to expand its influence in the South Pacific.

This threatens a primary goal of US policy in the region the strategic denial of the area to outside hostile foreign forces as it does the political environment in which we operate in the region.

This administration has accepted and, I would like to think improved upon, the South Pacific policy followed by every administration since the war. That policy recognises that the US has an indisput able national security interest in assis ting and promoting the economic growth of the island governments of the South Pacific, a region remarkable in the deve loping world for its effective and vigorous democratic institutions.

This policy has paid dividends by keeping the ports and airfields of the region open to US warships and aircraft, and in a consistent history of island support of the US in international fora on matters of vital national security interest.

In fiscal year 1987 we are seeking $4.5 million in development assistance to support our regional program, aimed primarily at private sector growth, agri culture, health and education in ten of the region s eleven independent or self governing nations.

This is perhaps the single best exam ple of how our assistance has prevented Soviet inroads into the region. The Committee for the Co-ordination of Offshore Prospecting, South Pacific (CCOP/SOPAC), a research project funded jointly by the US, Australia and New Zealand, was put together as a response to a 1980 Soviet offer of a similar program.

The island states unanimously re jected the Soviet offer and accepted ours. The program has attracted favor able comment from island leaders, en hancing our position in the region.

Private sector interest in potential seabed mining and drilling has also focussed on the region as a result of this project. The requested level of funding

($1.5 million in ESF economic support funding, as distinct from military aid) is needed to meet our commitments to the other sponsors and the islands states.

The $1.5 million ESF regional fisheries development program is, like CCOP/ SOPAC, a counter to Soviet moves in the region. Island states whose major or only resource is their fishery are under severe budgetary pressure to accept Soviet offers to pay for fishing rights.

While the amount requested is approx imately what the Soviet Union is paying annually for fishing rights in one country (Kiribati), our program is attractive to the island governments because it helps them develop their own resources rather than simply licence them to others. We hope to involve the US private sector in this initiative.

Fiji has been one of our staunchest supporters in the region. When the US has needed a friend, or when an espe cially egregious act by the Soviet Union demanded public condemnation, Fiji has always been ready to speak out.

It has opened its ports to our warships at a time when powerful political forces in the region opposed such a move, and it has played a constructive and useful role in our on-going negotiation of a regional fisheries agreement.

Fiji continues to participate in UNIFIL and in the Sinai MFO. We hope to begin a bilateral program this year with $1.5 million in ESF and $400,000 in deve lopment assistance.

In Papua New Guinea, despite a demo cratic change of government at the begining of this year, the government continues to remain friendly to the US and an outspoken supporter of a strong US presence in the region.

The largest and potentially richest of the South Pacific island nations, it has been especially supportive of our efforts to negotiate a regional fisheries agree ment. The modest $85,000 (for military training aid) for PNG in 1987 is designed to provide the PNG Defence Force with needed skills to assist it in managing its scarce resources.

The Solomon Islands exercises con siderable influence in the region on fishery and nuclear issues. It has gener ally suppotted US interests in internatio nal fora, and our relations in areas where we have differences are characterised by a political will to resolve problems and reach accommodations. The Solomon Islands Defence Force is small and in need of training. Our small $60,000 program is designed to provide basic management and technical skills to the officer and petty officer corps.