PARLIAMENT Prime Minister Attacked On Statements Overseas

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29250, 7 July 1960, Page 14

PARLIAMENT Prime Minister Attacked On Statements Overseas

(New Zealand Press Association} WELLINGTON, July 6. The Prime Minister (Mr Nash) faced a concerted Opposition attack in the House of Representatives today on statements he made on his overseas trip. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Holyoake) ‘ said that some of the Prime Minister’s statements were very embarrassing. “The Prime Minister said he was going to Moscow to find the real meaning of co-existence,” Mr Holyoake said. “What nonsense. If he wants to find the real meaning he should go to Hungary and Tibet. He’d find the real meaning of Communist co-existence is no existence. Let’s wake up and stop this starryeyed nonsense.”

Government members strongly defended the Prime Minister’s statements.

Mr R. Macdonald (Govt, Ponsonby) was loudly cheered by Government members when he said: “We stand four-square behind the Prime Minister on his foreign affairs statements. I’ll stand by the Prime Minister on every occasion he fights for peace." Members were discussing Mr Nash’s reply to a question by Mr W. J. Scott (Opposition, Rodney). Mr Nash said that statements he made on foreign affairs were in accordanfce with Government policy. There was nothing new in his recent statements advocating recognition of Communist China. * “I said that when I was in Opposition, and I've said it several times since/ The mainland Government .is the Government of China and should be recognised as the Government," Mr Nash said. “I have said Formosa should not go to the mainland of China, and should be guaranteed by the United Nations against aggression. Formosa could be recognised as Formosa, and the recognition of mainland China could be synchronised with the recognition of Formosa.” Mr Nash said that mainland China should have a seat in the United Nations, and Formosa should have a seat there as Formosa.

"But If the Government of mainland China wanted to take over Formosa and refused to re-

cognise its seat in the United Nations as Formosa, then at that point we would have to tell it to leave Formosa* alone,” he said. “As many countries have recognised China inferentially as have recognised it officially,” the Prime Minister added. He said that China was an original member of the United Nations.

Mr R. M. Algie (Opposition, Remuera): Not Communist China. The Government in Formosa.

Mr Nash: It’s nonsense to say Formosa was an original member of the United Nations. Mr J. R.' Hanan (Opposition, Invercargill): Well, if China was an original member,'how did it get out of the United Nations?

Mr Nash: No. It’s nonsense to say Formosa was an original member.

Mr Holyoake said the Prime Minister knew Communist China would not agree to the separate recognition of Formosa. “The Prime Minister says he has always favoured recognition qf Communist China. But now he says he can’t recognise China yet because of events in Tibet and the Indian border. But they are recent events. What sort of double talk is that?” Mr Holyoake said. Cninion of Mr Khrushchev Mr Holyoake said he spent three hours with Mr Khrushchev in 1857. “I formed a very firm opinion of him then, and I have never changed it,” he said. “I never became starry-eyed and talked the nonsense some people have talked about him.” ' , Mr Algie said the Prime Minister kept saying Communist China should be recognised, bilt did nothing to recognise it. Tm not suggesting it should be d ue. But the Prime Minister has been telling the world it ought to be done. Why doesn’t he do it? ITe has the power to do so. Mr Algie said. Mr B. E. Taiboys (Opposition. Wallace) referred to a statement by Mr Nash that he hoped Mr Khrushchev would be victorious. In a reply today to an earlier question by Mr Taiboys. Mn Nash said be was referring to “Mr Khrushchev’s expressed support for the principles of disarmament and peaceful co-existence.” Mr Taiboys asked: “Is it the Government’s policy to support the Russian disarmament proposals? Has he instructed New Zealand's representatives at the United Nations *to support the Soviet disarmament proposals?" He said he did not think this would meet with the approval of most New Zealanders. “Utter Bunk” Mr A. J. Faulkner (Government, Roskill) said it was utter and positive bunk to say Mr Nash was referring to communism when he said he hoped Mr Khrushchev would be victorious.

“The only reason the Prime Minister went to Moscow in a sense was to discuss with the Soviet leader his attitude to disarmament," Mr Faulkner said. Mr T. P. Shand (Opposition, Marlborough) said he was in the United States while the Prime Minister was overseas. “I felt ashamed that the Prime Minister was so careless in his choice of words,” Mr Shand said. The Minister of Marine (Mr Fox) accused the Opposition of endulgmg in a “smear" campaign against the Prime Minister. “I was overseas recently, and I don’t know of any man who was held up as a greater statesman than our Prime Minister.” Mr Fox said >