pacific report

Dialogue Starts

Fiji Prime Minister, Dr Timoci Bavadra, ousted along with his coalition govern ment by the military coup on May 14, has softened his attitude to attempts to keep the country from going over the econo mic precipice. Dr Bavadra has called on Indian sugar farmers to harvest their cane, and cutting has begun. But he remains opposed to constitutional change and has assured the Indian cane workers that the coalition will not accept any moves to disenfranchise them or abridge their basic rights. Dr Bavadra said he is co-operating with Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia Gani lau’s moves to restore democracy be cause it is important to resolve the crisis through dialogue. In line with this he has agreed to his four representatives on the constitutional review committee atten ding its meetings.

O’Leary Comments

Upset The French

Continuing sensitivity of French/Austra lian relations was highlighted last month when France criticised remarks made by Australia’s new consul-general in New Caledonia, Mr David O’Leary, Mr O’Le ary was reported in the Noumea press as saying that Australia and the region believed that independence for New Caledonia was inevitable and desirable, prompting the French Foreign Ministry to call in the Charge D’Affaires of the Australian Embassy in Paris, Mr Rick Fraser. Australia is believed to have rejected the French criticism, saying that Mr O’Leary’s comments had been taken out of context. A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Can berra said Mr O’Leary had only restated the views of the Australian Government and the South Pacific Forum. He said the consul- general had also restated Aus tralia's wish to maintain a constructive dialogue with France and had denied any suggestion that Australia wanted to see France out of the Pacific.

Canada Triples

Aid

Canada has announced a new aid programme for the South Pacific which

will triple its annual contribution to the r egion. Speaking at the recent ASEAN foreign Ministers conference in Singa pore, Canadian Secretary of State for external affairs, Mr Joe Clark, said the initiative reflected Canada’s growing in terest in the Asia-Pacific region. Mr Clark said the new programme would take Canada’s total aid for the region to USssmillion a year. He said the extra funds would be used in fisheries deve lopment and ocean resource manage ment through regional organisations such as the Forum Fisheries Agency and the University of the South Pacific

Vanuatu Receives

Cyclone Relief

Australia has given Vanuatu over A 5700,000 for a reconstruction program me following the damages caused by Cyclone Uma earlier this year. The Vanuatu Government Minister responsi ble for the programme, Mr Donald Kalpokas, said the money would be used for reconstruction work on Radio Vanuatu’s Broadcast House, Govern ment houses and offices including the Prime Minister’s office, the George Pom pidou health complex and the Supreme Court buildings. The fund would also be used for reconstruction of schools of Efate and in Vila, Mr Kalpokas said. Aid donor countries had by mid-June pledged about 10 million kina to the reconstruction programme. Apart from Australia, aid has come from New Zea land, Britain, France, the United States and Canada.

Shultz Backs Mururoa

Testing

The US Secretary of State, Mr George Shultz, has supported France’s nuclear testing programme in the Pacific, saying that while the US was concerned about the widespread hostility the tests had aroused, French nuclear capability was part of a deterrent force which main tained world peace. He said the US was therefore very reluctant to see the spread of so-called nuclear free zones.

He said he was convinced by assur

ances from France that its testing prog ramme was totally safe. Mr Shulz was speaking in Singapore during his recent tour of Asia and Australia. Later on the same tour, Mr Shulz commented on Soviet and Libyan influence in the Paci fic, saying island countries had to de cide themselves how to react to Soviet offers of fishing agreements and Libyan attempts to establish diplomatic mis sions in the region. He said Washington understood this was a difficult time for island nations and would continue to provide aid.

More Eec Aid

To Western Samoa

The European Economic Community has agreed to give further financial aid to Western Samoa, which is experiencing balance of trade problems, with imports outstripping exports. Western Samoa's Finance Minister, Mr Saili, said the EEC would provide an extra As 2 million in assistance. The community had earlier granted Western Samoa nearly As 3 million in export subsidies.

Kiribati Bank

Profit Booms

The Bank of Kiribati has announced an unaudited profit for the six months to the end of March of just over USS3OO,OOO Directors of the bank, which is 51% owned by Australia’s Westpac Corpora tion, said the continued good returns on international business and investments boosted the profit beyond expectations.

The Kiribati Government owns the re maining 49 per cent of the bank.

Solomons Studying

Assemblies

The Solomon Islands Government has established a committee to study whe ther the country’s six provincial assemb lies should be abolished. A report sub mitted to Cabinet in May suggested three options for local government.

These were; retention of the present provincial system; a modified admi nistrative system to allow the govern

ment to deal directly the area councils: or the establishment of state govern ments. Cabinet favoured dealing directly with the councils and established a committee to look at the financial im plications. The Minister for Home Affairs and Provincial Government, .Mr Andrew Nori, said that if a direct link with area councils was not considered feasible, Cabinet would look at other options.

Diplomatic Relations

Set Up

The Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands have established diplomatic relations with each other with foreign ministers from the two former US trusteeships extending recognition in a ceremony in Honolulu.

Nauru Resettlement

Plea

A former Australian public servant has told an inquiry that the United Nations should be held responsible for the resettlement of the people of Nauru. The Commission of Inquiry was set up by the Nauru Government to Investigate the feasibility of rehabilitating the now de nuded island. Mr Reginald Marsh, who was the director of Nauruan resettlement in the former Australian Department of Territories in the 19605, said he believed the UN must be held responsible for resettlement because it had granted trusteeship of the island to Australia, New Zealand and Britain before Nauru’s independence. Mr Walsh said the world community had benefited greatly from cheap Nauruan phosphate and the re sponsibility for the future of Nauru law with the UN.

Lini Re-Elected

Party President

The prime minister of Vanuatu, Father Walter Uni, has been re-elected by his ruling Vanua’aku Parti for another four year term as President. His re-election came at the end of the Party’s Annual Congress held on Malo Island off Santo.

In line with past procedures, the Vanua’aku Parti president automatically becomes Prime Minister should the Vanua’aku Parti win the forthcoming November election. The position of Vice- President was taken by MNr Kalpokor Kalsakau, the Minister for Finance. He replaces the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Sethy Regenvanu, who stepped down to

become a member of the party’s Execu tive Council. The new Assistant Vice- President is a lawyer, Mr Kalkot Matas Kelekele. The Secretary General, Mr Barak Sope, retained his position as did the Assistant Secretary General and Minister for Lands, Mr Donald Kalpokas.

Mr Sela Molisa retained the position of Party Treasurer. Vanuatu’s next parlia ment will have 46 seats. The increase in seats will for the first tiume enable the people of Maewo Island to send their own representative to parliament. Six other islands will elect additional mem bers.

Landing Rights

Suspended

Western Samoa, Cook Islands and New Zealand have suspended landing rights for South Pacific Islands Airways, follow isafety reasons. South Pacific Islands Airways, which is based in American Samoa, was grounded by US authorities earlier this year after alleged safety violations but was to have resumed jet services in late June. With the suspen sions on wide-bodied flights, the airline will be restricted to using light aircraft on the short flight between American Samoa and Western Samoa.

Reagan Calls

On Treaty

President Reagan has called on the Senate to give early approval to the new fishing treaty designed to end the long running dispute between the US and South Pacific Forum countries over tuna fishing rights. The treaty has already been approved by most of the Forum countries. President Reagan said the treaty would eliminate the primary source of friction between the US and island countries.

Fabius Haunted By

Rainbow Warrior

France’s former Prime Minister, Mr Fabius, is to take court action against the author of a new book on the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand two years ago. The book, Mission Oxygen, claims Mr Fabius had advance know ledge of operations by French secret agents which resulted in the sinking of the Greenpeace protest ship in Auck land harbour. New Zealand police arrested two French agents who were

later sent to prison. The author says he is a former French Secret Services officer and that he was asked to prepare a secret report for Mr Fabius on the bombing of the ship.

Tuvaluan Language

Bible Launched

The first complete Bible in the Tuvaluan language has been officially launched at a ceremony in Funafuti. Previously, only the New Testament was available in Tuvaluan. Work on translating the entire Bible was carried out jointly by the Tuvalu Church and the United Bible Society of Australia.

Convictions

Overturned

The Supreme Court of Palau has over turned the convictions of three men for the assassination of President Haruo

Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Father Walter Lini.

Remeliik two years ago. The men had been given prison terms of up to 35 years, but remained free pending appeal. The convictions were overturned on the grounds that the evidence against the accused had been unreliable. The Government will consider appealing against the Supreme Court ruling,

Regional Aid Funds

Under Threat

The eight South Pacific countries under the Lome convention have been warned to speed up the use of funds allocated to them for regional projects. Only $45,000 of the total allocation of $lB million have been used. The Secretary General of the Africa Caribbean Pacific Group, Mr Edward Carrington, says the under utilisation of funds could jeopardise Pacific states when preliminary negotia tions on a new Convention start in September 1988. One problem is that major differences have occurred be tween the Pacific States and the Euro pean Economic Commission which helps to provide the funds over the interpretation.

Tuvalu Trust Fund

Set Up

The High Commissioners of Australia, New Zealand and Britain have signed an agreement with Tuvalu, setting up a US$l9 million trust fund for the Pacific island. The former Tuvalu Deputy Prime Minister and present Director of the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co operation, Mr Henry Naisali, began lob bying for the trust fund in 1982. He said South Korea had made a small contribu tion and West Germany, Japan and Canada were prospective donors. How ever, the United States had not re sponded to an approach for support.

Investment from the fund is expected to provide more than one-third of Tuvalu’s annual budget.

Png Proposes Fiji

Conference

Papua New Guinea has proposed a conference on ways to help solve the constitutional crisis in Fiji. Details of the proposed conference have been sent to members of the South Pacific Forum and a delegation appointed by Fiji’s Gov ernor-General, Sir Penaia Ganilau, has been invited to attent. In addition, Britain, the US and ASEAN nations have been briefed.

Court Upholds

Maori Treaty

The New Zealand Court of Appeal in a landmark decision has ruled that the Lange Government cannot transfer Crown land claimed by Maori tribes to new state corporations. The New Zea land Government had sought to transfer thousands of hectares to the country’s new coal, forestry and land corporations.

However, in a unanimous decision the five judges of the Court of Appeal said the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi over-rode legislation passed last year under which the new corporations

Caution On Tv

The Western Samoan Government has been urged not to make a quick decision on the introduction of television, with Opposition Leader, Tupuola Efi, sug gesting that the money could be better spent on education, agriculture and

industrial development. The Minister for Broadcasting, Mr Le Tagaloa Pita, has announced that an American company will carry out an investigation into whe ther television transmitted to users by telephone can be introduced, saying he wants the service to start as soon as possible.

Australia Lifts

Caution On Fiji

Fiji is once again a safe destination for tourists, the Australian government has declared. Because of conditions after the coup, Australia’s Foreign Affairs Department was advising tourists to contact it before going to Fiji. However, Fiji has now been taken off the list of countries requiring travel advice. The announcement followed closely on the decision by Air Pacific to offer big discounts on fares between Australia and Fiji.

On their first venture into the hitherto Samoan sport of fautasi racing, Tonga triumphed.

Its two fautasi long-boats, crewed by about 50 oarsmen, won all races, taking the championship in Western Samoa’s Independence Silver Jubilee race held on the bay fronting Apia on June 4. The Tongans returned home with the silver championship trophy, WS$25,000 won by the boat Tu‘i Vava’u, and WS$15,000 won by Tu’i Ha'apai , which came in in second place. American Samoa’s boat Savalio Le Filemu was third, with Western Samoa’s four craft trailing behind. Modern technology beat the Samoans, although The Tonga Chronicle said, “The wide hulls of the Samoan designs and the unfitness of her crews contributed to their slowness in the race.” Tonga’s King Taufa’ahau thought up the idea of challenging the Samoans at their own game. With the help of New Zealand technicians, aided by computers, he produced the winning boats which may win next year when Hawaii and Tahiti enter the contest