Regional Security Force

Commonwealth Head Calls For

By Vivian Carroll

ISLANDS 88 began with a plea from Commonwealth Secretary General Sir Sridath Ramphal for a new interna tional regime to provide security meas ures and assistance for small island states.

His plan would see a multinational force established under the United Nations Constitution for the use of small nations and outside the veto of major powers.

With the detection of any threat such as military invasion, drug running or il legal fishing, island states could call on the UN force to police the situation.

“My contention is that the phenomena of small island states challenges us to evolve new forms of order that accept col lective responsibility for securing the sov ereignty and territorial integrity.”

Security is an obvious area for concern, with the Commonwealth alone having 15 island members with populations of fewer than 200,000. These could not adequately provide for defence against “predators” including not only other states but com mercial interests often more powerful than some small nations.

“All countries should adopt more en lightened attitudes to sovereignty. Like personal freedom within societies, sover

eignty within the world community has to be trimmed at the edges if it is to be se cured for all,” Sir Sridath said.

“Self-reliance means striking a proper balance between minimal and abject de pendency. Self-sufficiency is not attaina ble, even if it were desirable which I greatly doubt.

“Equally, small islands do not aspire to be human sanctuaries a kind of pro tected species.”

Small islands could best determine their paths to the next century by devel oping maximum domestic strengths. This requires a world environment supportive without being overpowering, helpful with out inducing helplessness.

Small island nations faced a broader range of issues than continental states of similar size.

Economic advancement and moder nisation are desirable, concluded Sir Sri dath, but there are emerging cultural dangers from the impact of large-scale tourism, cable and satellite television, the attractiveness of islands as transit points for drug trafficking, the corruption as sociated with tax havens, casinos and the provision of financial services. □