N.Z. move against tests supported

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33033, 28 September 1972, Page 2

N.Z. move against tests supported

(N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent)

NEW YORK, September 27.

The New Zealand move to have the United Nations General Assembly condemn French nuclear testing in the Pacific is attracting solid early support.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Sir Keith Holyoake) seemed cheered by the early response to the move after he left the meeting of 15 Pacific and Asian nations in the United Nations headquarters building early yesterday morning.

"I am more than pleased with the response we have received and the contributions that have been made by the other countries we have approached on this question,” he said in an interview.

“Some Government representatives here said they would still have to consult their Governments before ac-

cepting our draft resolution or agreeing to co-sponsor it, but we have made good progress.” Sir Keith Holyoake said he doubted that it would be possible to hold a second such meeting on the issue before he left New York on Friday to return home, but said he expected one would be held soon. Officials attached to the United Nations were pleased that all nations invited to send representatives to yesterday’s meeting had accepted. In the event only Ecuador did not show up. Sir Keith Holyoake and the Australian Foreign Minister (Mr Nigel Bowen) told the delegates that Australia and New Zealand had taken the initiative in calling the gathering because of their longstanding opposition to atmospheric nuclear testing, and their support for a comprehensive ban on all testing of nuclear weapons. Also present at the meeting, held in a conference room at the United Nations headquarters, were representatives of Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Mr Bowen said later it was “a most successful meeting.” The participants agreed that action was urgently needed to conclude an agreement prohibiting all nuclear weapons tests in all environments, an Australian spokesman said.

Many of them also agreed with a suggestion that it would be desirable to table a resolution during the present General Assembly session, expressing concern about testing.

Neither France, which recently conducted a series of nuclear tests in the Pacific, nor China has signed the 1963 partial test-ban treaty, prohibiting nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere.

A message from Hamilton today said the French Government would meet the Mayor of Hamilton (Mr M. J. Minogue) in Paris soon to discuss the Hamilton petition against nuclear tests, which has 18,000 signatures. The organiser of the petition, Radio Waikato, received a telegram from the New Zealand Ambassador in Paris (Mr O. P. Gabites) today, confirming that the French Government had agreed to its request to have Mr Minogue discuss nuclear testing with a member of the Government.