Visiting mission to Micronesia reports desire for quick end to trusteeship status.

Visiting Mission to Micronesia reports desire for quick end to trusteeship status

The 1985 United Nations Visiting Mission to the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands has recommended that the Trusteeship Agreement between the United Nations and the United States be ended as soon as possible.

In its report to the Trusteeship Council (T/1878), the Mission stated it had determined there was a "general desire, particularly amongst the leaders of the Trust Territory', that the Agreement should be "terminated quickly'.

The Mission also reported widespread "expressions of fear, and in many cases resentment', about a possible negative decision by the Security Council on a draft resolution recommending termination of the Trusteeship Agreement.

The Pacific Islands is the last remaining Territory within the United Nations Trusteeship System. Classified as a "strategic area' under Article 83 of the United Nations Charter, it is administered under a Trusteeship Agreement by the United States as Administering Authority.

During its 16 July--3 August 1985 trip, the Mission toured the three major archipelagos constituting the Trust Territory--the Carolines, the Marshalls and the Marianas. Guam was also visited by the group. Mission members were Sir Richard Stratton (United Kingdom) and Andre Rocher (France), who were accompanied by four United Nations staff members.

At its 13 May--7 June 1985 session, the Trusteeship Council had decided that a Mission should visit the Trust Territory in 1985 (T/RES/2179 (L11)). In that resolution, the Council directed the Mission to investigate and report as fully as possible on the steps taken in the Territory towards promoting the political, economic, social and educational advancement of its inhabitants, and their progressive development towards self-government or independence, an objective set forth in the United Nations Charter. Special attention was to be paid to the question of the future of the Territory; petitions received were to be investigated on the spot if they warranted special investigation.

Conclusions and recommendations

The Visiting Mission reported that, except for the State of Pohnpei and one opposition party, as well as "some individuals elsewhere', there was general support for the Compact of Free Association and equally general dismay at some amendments to the Compact reported to have been embodied in the incomplete legislation approved by the United States Congress.

The Mission expressed its strong hope that "every effort will be made urgently on all sides to resolve the difficulties--including the constitutional problem in Palau--that are impeding the early implementation of the Compact'. The Mission observed that there had been "impatience in the Northern Marianas to accede to the Commonwealth status agreed on 10 years ago'.

With regard to economic conditions in the Territory, the Mission noted many improvements made in the field of infrastructure since 1982, especially in roads, airports and airstrips. Stress was laid on the importance of maintaining existing facilities; but the Mission saw "little evidence that this valuable recommendation was being fulfilled locally'.

Substantial divergencies were noted between the levels of development achieved in various parts of the Territory. Mission members were not convinced that those differences "resulted usually from a deliberate policy of the Administring Authority'.

The Mission heard many demands for increased financial help from the United States and, to a lesser extent, the United Nations. "Bearing in mind the large sums of money made available by the United States to the Territory and the much smaller, but not inconsiderable, help already afforded to it by the United Nations', the Mission considered most of those demands "unjustified'.

Regarding complaints that the development of the outer islands was being subordinated to the interests of the capitals (state centres), the Mission noted that with increased delegation to local governments by the Administering Authority of responsibility for the allocation of funds provided by the United States, it was now "incumbent mainly on these local governments to ensure a fair distribution of financial resources'.

All sides expressed the intent to "privatize'--reduce government involvement in the economy in favour of the private sector, the Mission noted. But, except in the Northern Marianas and Ebeye, there was little evidence of progress towards that declared goal, which, "possibly at the cost of some short-term, additional unemployment, would lead to a reduction of the excessive bureaucracy that plagues other parts of the Territory'.

As for social conditions, unemployment, compounded in Micronesia by an increasingly young--under 25--population, was said almost everywhere to be a major problem as were drink and drugs.

Micronesia: the background

The Territory's three archipelagos include more than 2,100 islands and atolls, scattered over an area of some 7.8 million square kilometres of the western Pacific, north of the Equator, with a combined land area of 1,854 square kilometres That area is known as Micronesia, although Guam in the Marianas and the Gilbert Islands, located south of the Marshalls, are not part of the Trust Territory.

The Territory is composed of four administrative entities: the Federated States of Micronesia, consisting of the islands of Yap, Truk, Pohnpei and Kosrae (within the Carolines); the Marshall Islands; the Northern Mariana Islands; and Palau. Saipan is the administrative capital of the Trust Territory.

In June 1975, the Northern Marianas adopted a Covenant establishing a Commonwealth in Political Union with the United States, to become effective after the termination of the Trusteeship Agreement. In 1976 they were administratively separated from the government of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

During 1983, plebiscites were held in the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau concerning proposed Compacts of Free Association with the United States, which had been arrived at between representatives of the people of those islands and of the United States.

The Compacts were approved in the Federated States of Micronesia by a 79 per cent majority, and in the Marshall Islands by a 58 per cent majority. In the plebscite in Palau, held on 10 February 1983, 61.4 per cent of the voters expressed approval for the Compact. A related question on nuclear and other hazardous substances dealing with the United States Government's defence responsibilities under the Compact, was approved by 52 per cent. However, as the margin of support was less than the 75 per cent required by the Palau Constitution, the Supreme Court of Palau later ruled that the Compact was therefore not approved. Under the Palau Constitution, testing, storage and detonation of nuclear or radioactive substances in Palau is forbidden.

The Compact as it would apply to the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands was under review by the United States Congress; final action was expected before the end of 1985. The future status of Palau would be considered by the Congress later. The Administrative Authority has reaffirmed its intention to take up the question of termination of the Trusteeship Agreement at the appropriate time with both the Trusteeship Council and the Security Council.

The Compact of Free Association recognizes the islands' right to self-government and self-determination, but at the same time retains the United States military presence in the area. It provides for a renewed lease of up to 30 years for the Kwajalein Missile Range in the Marshall Islands, a billion-dollar testing ground for the MX missile and parts of President Reagan's strategic defence initiative. In addition, the Compact provides for indefinite "strategic denial' of any other foreign military presence in the area, as well as continued military security of the area by the United States.

The Trusteeship Council, in its latest report to the Security Council (S/17334), reiterated that "free association is an option entirely compatible with the Trusteeship Agreement, provided that the population concerned has freely accepted it'. At the same time, the Council reaffirmed "the inalienable right of the people of Micronesia to self-determination, including the right to independence, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the Trusteeship Agreement.'