Reasons For N.Z. Vote On Weapons

Press, Volume C, Issue 29682, 28 November 1961, Page 18

Reasons For N.Z. Vote On Weapons

<N«w Zealand Press Association; WELLINGTON, November 27. Reasons for New Zealand’s vote in the United Nations General Assembly against the Ethiopian resolution declaring that the use of nuclear weapons violated the United Nations . Charter were given tonight by the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake).

“New Zealand voted as it did because it sees much danger in lulling people into the false belief that nuclear disarmament can be achieved by declaration—by merely adopting a resolution which ignores any provision for control or inspection and contains no statement whatever as to how this state of affairs is to be enforced,” Mr Holyoake said in a press statement “Earlier in the month New Zealand had voted in favour of a resolution calling upon the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union to resume their negotiations on the cessation of nuclear tests, a conference broken off by the USSR, after it had begun its massive series of carefully-prepared tests,” Mr Holyoake said. ‘The New Zealand Government fully recognises that disarmament is the most important and the most serious problem facing the world today. It also believes the problem to be a most complicated one which just cannot be solved simply by passing a condemnatory resolution on the use of nuclear weapons. ‘‘Surely the monstrous and deceitful conduct of the Soviet Union over their recent series of nuclear tests is sufficient indication of what lack of inspection or disarmament control can mean in practice. “In a democratic society where the fullest freedom of discussion exists it is not possible for a Government to give a pledge and then to do something different. In a dictatorship this is not the case,” he said. Keeping Pledge "If, however, we give a pledge we must keep it. One need only recall what happened over the Soviet resumption of nuclear tests. During the many months of negotiation at Geneva on the banning of nuclear tests the Soviet authorities were making secret preparations to launch this massive series while prolonging the negotiations and deceiving their British and American colleagues. Even after the first nuclear bomb was exploded no mention whatever was made of the fact by the Soviet authorities to their own people. “The New Zealand Government is convinced that disarmament should be so phased and policed that noone can steal a march on

t anyone else, otherwise a I premium is again placed on ; > deceit. r “The New Zealand Gov- j 1 ernment resolutely supports r the idea of disarmament but, I i let me emphasise again that r it must be disarmament un--1 der effective international - control to ensure that any f measure of disarmament is ’ respected. s “This involve® the negotiation of binding internar tional agreements with pror per provision for inspection ■ and control. There is no i easy way such as simply de- . daring that the use of nuc--1 clear weapons is wrong. Our , ultimate aim is to make sure ; that such weapons—or others . —are not used,” Mr Holyf oake said.