on fishing talks

Forum changes tack on fishing talks

The next round of mul tilateral fishing talks be tween the United States and South Pacific nations is likely to result in a happier outcome, according to senior participants at the South Pacific Forum in Suva last month.

After five years of sometimes bitter exchanges, high seas arrests of US registered fishing boats and a drift of disaffected states towards agreements with the Soviet Union, forum dele gates emerged confident that a satisfactory cash deal will be struck, perhaps late this month.

“We felt that it won’t be too hard to resolve at the next talks,” one insider candidly told

Pim.

The next round of multilate ral negotiations is scheduled for a Micronesian venue.

In a comparatively brief dis cussion which followed the pre sentation of a report by the Forum Fisheries Agency chief, Mr Philip Muller, nations voted to speed up the process.

Both in the plenary meeting and later in the informal discus sions at their Fijian Hotel re treat, regional leaders worked over the terms on which a settlement might be reached with Washington and how the proceeds might be distributed around the region.

Countering an American offer of US$7 million yearly over the next five years, the forum members will drop their claim of US$l6 million annual ly to US$lO million per year together with a licencing fee per boat of US$5O,OOO.

Forum leaders are likely also to settle on a distribution formu la for the proceeds. This would involve 25 per cent of the fee being distributed among the treaty signatories with the ba lance being apportioned accor ding to reported catches from the various EEZs.

This fits closely with the kind of agreement Vanuatu has been negotiating with the Soviet Union. Interestingly enough, Moscow’s latest pro

posals are due for presentation to the Lini government on the eve of the next scheduled round of US multilateral talks in which Vanuatu has also been taking a close interest.

However, according to forum sources, there has been no criticism of “brinkmanship” over the Vanuatu position.

In an interview before the forum, Vanuatu foreign minis ter Mr Sela Molisa downplayed regional fears of a Soviet pre sence, saying it is all a question of selling fish to the highest bidder.

And Vanuatu has apparently convinced at least some Pacific

neighbours of the validity of this strategy.

According to New Zealand prime minister, Mr David Lange, who only a matter of months ago was expressing concern at Vanuatu treating with the Soviets, “Vanuatu is in the business of securing the best return for its fish. If the Americans outbid Moscow, I am sure that Father Lini will be delighted. ”

The Vanuatu leader, said Lange, was misread by both Lange’s predecessor, Sir Robert Muldoon, and by for mer Australian prime minister, Mr Malcolm Fraser.

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From page 21 “What happened after a combination of Messrs Mul doon and Fraser leaning on him was that he went to Cuba, Libya and Russia and I doubt that was their strategy,” said Lange.

“It is better for us not to move him on to another axis,” he added, downplaying pre vious pressure on Vanuatu.

“They are not given to the worst excesses of Marxist- Leninist rigorous economy drives. They are people who take the best prices for com modities, register the most pro fitable ships, provide tax havens and go to church,” Lange said in a briefing for New Zealand journalists.

Fomm leaders individually stressed that they felt now was the time for a settlement with Washington since the US had given so much ground.

“The United States has come to grips with the fundamental problem,” said Lange, “that it cannot allow its foreign policy interests to be directed by the (American) Tunaboat Associa tion.

“And the Pacific has come to

grips with the problem that it cannot allow its most valuable resource for some countries to go unexploited or exploited without a return.”

In words which other mem bers of the fomm indicated to PIM refelct their views, Lange added: “It is in the interests of them all to have an understan ding between the US State Department and the Fomm Fisheries Agency, whereby an economic return is guaranteed.

“That may well mean a form of assistance which is beyond that which fishing companies are able to pay in fact you can call that a subsidy, or you can call that common sense.

Denis Reinhardt.

Lange: “Call it common sense.”