Underground Tests U.N. LIKELY TO OVERRULE U.S.

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30919, 27 November 1965, Page 15

Underground Tests U.N. LIKELY TO OVERRULE U.S.

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, November 26. The General Assembly’s main political committee seems certain today to overrule a United States objection to a resolution calling for extension of the nuclear test ban treaty to include underground tests. The resolution was virtually certain to be passed by a huge majority. It has been sponsored by 34 nonaligned nations.

The objection was raised by the United States disarmament negotiator, Mr William Foster, who said:

“We have already had one understanding regarding the suspension of underground testing and the Soviet Union started testing again in spite of official statements that they would not be the first to do so.

“We are not inclined to repeat that unfortunate experience. . . .

“A moratorium on underground testing is unacceptable to the United States.” Mr Foster said the United States wanted a treaty banning underground testing.

Winding Up

But he added, that, in spite of improved techniques to tell illegal underground tests from earthquakes, some on-site inspections were still necessary for that purpose.

The Soviet Union opposes on-site inspections. Adoption of the resolution on nuclear testing will wind up the major portion of the political committees disarmament debate. De-nuclearisation of Africa is the only disarmament item outstanding, and that may be postponed to a later date.

Before the committee at its meeting was a resolution sponsored by 34 Afro-Asian and Latin American States that all nuclear weapons tests in all environments be suspended. The resolution calls on al) States to respect the spirit and provisions of the 1963 Moscow test ban treaty and asks the 17-nation Geneva disarmament conference to take up the question of a comprehensive test ban as a matter of urgency. During this week’s debate on the resolution, a parade of non-aligned speakers has ap-

pealed to the nuclear powers to respect the letter of the 1963 treaty and foreswear underground testing. The New Zealand delegate, Mr F. H. Corner, told the committee that since 1963 there had been no further progress on the remaining differences between major nuclear powers which then prevented the partial test ban from being a comprehensive ban, prohibiting nuclear testing in all environments. Moreover, in two signifi-

cant instances, the extent of the agreement then reached had been breached or disregarded.

N.Z. Interest

Mr Corner said New Zealand’s interest in the differences which remained to be solved had been all the greater because New Zealand was, geologically as well as politically, a young country sometimes subject to earthquakes.

The New Zealand Government had taken a particular interest in research undertaken by the United States and the United Kingdom into the possibility of distinguishing between shockwaves caused by earthquakes and those caused by underground nuclear explosions.

He said New Zealand would be prepared to co-operate in an international nuclear detection club which would exchange seismic information and so assist accurate analysis of seismic disturbances.

Such a scheme had been put forward by Sweden to the 18nation committee.