Check on use of aircraft

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32474, 8 December 1970, Page 3

Check on use of aircraft

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Dec. 7.

The Government intended to screen carefully the export of New Zealand aircraft to South Africa to ensure they were not sold for military purposes, the Prime Minister (Sir Keith Holyoake) said todav.

But beyond this the Government did not propose to restrict the sale of aircraft to private aero clubs or individuals for private purposes, he said. ■ The Prime Minister’s statement comes after a parliamentary question last week, when he revealed that a New Zealand aircraft of a type used for military training in this country had been sold to South Africa. He said today that New Zealand had fully complied with United Nations Security Council prohibitions against the sale of arms to South Africa and had no intention of changing its policy. Some weeks ago the Government had taken action to prohibit completely the sale of vehicles, including aircraft, or other equipment to

; the South African armed forces or paramilitary organisations.

“The argument that all types of aircraft constitute arms simply because they could be diverted to military use is not, to my mind, valid,” he said. “Such an argument could be extended to almost any type of export—from motor vehicles to butter. “It is clear that the Security Council resolutions did not envisage any kind of general trade embargo.”

New Zealand visit.—The Swedish chairman of the International Organisation of Employers (Mr G. Bergenstrom) and the secretarygeneral (Mr R. Legasse), who have been attending a' conference in Tokyo, will arrive in Wellington on December 15 for a short visit to New Zealand.—(P.A.)