USSR Report, March 1984
USSR Report, March 1984 (Report). Washington, DC: Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBISI). 1984-03-29. p. 111.
- Has attachment: File:LNANEMXF.pdf
Abstract: Compilation of translated news clips from the Soviet Union.
See "U.S. POLICY ON PACIFIC ISLANDS TRUST TERRITORY DESCRIBED" Moscow, IZVESTIYA in Russian 30 Jan 84 p 5 Article by 0. Kurochkin: "The Pacific Ocean: In the Pentagon's Sights"
In the Western Pacific are located 200 islands and atolls of volcanic and coral origin inhabited by around 15,000 persons. These are Palau which are part of the Caroline Archipalago and together with the Marianas and Marshall Islands comprise the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific islands (Micronesia). In 1947, the UN Security Council granted the United States a mandate for the temporary administration of Micronesia, having concluded the appropriate agreement with the American government. While other countries under trusteeship were gaining independence, Washington did everything to perpetuate control over the islands and waters of Micronesia with a total area of 7.8 million km2.
As a result, this is the only trust territory remaining in the UN system. In following the formula of "divide and rule," the United States has divided it into four parts and then forced the local rulers to sign a "bill of exchange" for the future guaranteeing that Washington would maintain its positions after the ending of trusteeship. Thus, according to a separate agreement on "cooper- ation" with the Northern Marianas, Washington has granted this insular forma- tion "internal self-administration" keeping all powers in the area of foreign relations and defense. According to the general agreement on "free associa- tion" imposed on the three other parts of the trust territory—the Marshall Islands which have been proclaimed the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Caroline Islands — these are now called the Federative States of Micronesia —and the Palau Islands which have been named the Republic of Belau—"internal self-administration" and definite rights in foreign relations have been prom- ised while Washington is to be responsible for the questions of security and defense.
The basic aim pursued by the united States in "formulating" its future rela- tions with the Micronesian formations is to satisfy the appetite of the Penta- gon which is demanding new strategic staging areas. At hearings before the Subcommission on East Asian and Pacific Affairs under the U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator Hayakawa unambiguously stated: "Micronesia strad- dles the crossroads of the Pacific and because of this holds an important strategic position." For each of the Micronesian formations, including Palau, Washington lawyers have worked out a whole series of accompanying agreements which without any hesitation concretize the claims of the Pentagon to plots of land for building bases, airfields, ports, ranges, barracks and depots. Thus, the Washington strategists have also planned to carry out plans for de- ploying weapons of mass destruction on the island. A special "accompanying" agreement with Palau was devoted to the conditions whereby the United States assumed the right to transport radioactive chemicals and biological substances there.
However, this turned out to be not so simple. When, in February 1983, on Palau, according to orders from Washington a refer- endum was held on the question of "free association," the agreement received only an insignificant majority of votes. The section submitted for separate voting and granting the possibility of storing chemical weapons and radioactive substances in Micronesia was voted down by the islanders. According to press announcements, the Palau representatives are stubbornly de- fending their vital interests. However, Washington has not concealed that it will not permit the small islands any "free thinking" and views them as its colony.
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DOI: 10.32687/0869-866X-2018-26-5-350-356 PMID: 30566819 MAG: 2906830416 CorpusID: 58636161 OpenAlex: W2906830416
