Word: kiribati
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Most veterans of World War II remember the South Pacific island group of Kiribati by its British name, the Gilbert Islands, whose capital of Tarawa was the scene of bloody fighting between Americans and the Japanese. Now Kiribati (pronounced kir-ibass) has become a micro-arena of the cold...
Small but significant ripples in the Pacific pond have been worrying U.S. strategists. Last year Kiribati, a tiny Micronesian nation about 3,000 miles east of Singapore, became the first South Pacific country to sign an agreement with the Soviet Union. The $1.7 million fishing treaty allows the Soviets emergency access to the cash-starved nation's 33 coral atolls. Two weeks ago Moscow began similar negotiations with Vanuatu, a nearby island nation, and Fiji has also expressed interest in a Soviet fishing agreement. In the latest talks the Soviets are more demanding: they are asking for shore privileges...