Haglelgam’s

shopping list

FEDERATED States of Micronesia president John Haglelgam re turned home from a recent week-long state visit to New Zealand with most items on his shopping list neatly ticked off. The FSM has caught about seven poaching fishing boats in its territorial waters this year and Hag lelgam asked New Zealand if it could extend its aerial surveillance from the neighbouring Marshall Islands.

Foreign Affairs Minister Russell Mar shall says the air force has been asked to draw up a patrol timetable as quickly as possible given that New Zealand planes will now be patrolling a huge slice of the western Pacific.

The FSM takes delivery next May of the first of its two Australian-built

fisheries patrol boats.

New Zealand and the FSM have also agreed to exchange ambassadors and Marshall’s promised New Zealand sup port for a direct service to Micronesia by the Pacific Forum Line. New Zea land is also considering expanding its bilateral aid scholarships to train Mic ronesian nurses next year. However, Marshall says any significant increase in aid to the FSM will have to wait for the next budget round.

Haglelgam’s round of meetings with the private sector in Auckland didn’t flush out as much business as he’d hoped. The FSM is looking for foreign companies to enter government joint ventures for fisheries development and

major public works contracts.

Haglelgam says most interest came from New Zealand construction com panies with existing links to the former trust territory. □