No Govt approval of F.O.L. ban

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33263, 28 June 1973, Page 3

No Govt approval of F.O.L. ban

.Nt’U’ Zealand Press .Associuth>h WELLINGTON, June 27. The Labour Government was sticking to a statement made by the Prime Minister (Mr Kirk >, when he was in opposition last year, that “there will be no need for bans by the Federation of Labour or anyone else under a Labour Government.” the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Watt) told Parliament today .

Mr Watt said there was still no need for a han and the Government had not endorsed the ban imposed by the F.O.L. on French goods.

Replying on Mr Kirk’s behalf to Sir Keith Holyoake (Nat.. Pahiatua), Mr Watt said the Labour Party had said last year it preferred the matter to be left to the Government,

“As we also said last year, the F.0.L.. is an autonomous body which makes its own decisions,” Mr Wail said.

The ban was not unilateral, he said. It was agreed to bv the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

i The Deputy Leader of the (Opposition (Mr Muldoon) iasked if Mr Watt was aware' that New Zealand had supported Australia’s initiative at the I.C.F.T.U. conference. The Deputy Prime Minister said he was not aware who had initiated the move, but, was aware that it had been a unanimous decision. Fiji’s nuclear test protest committee. Against Tests on Mururoa, has sent a telegram to Mr Kirk, asking whether a Fijian representative can sail in the New Zealand frigate to the test zone. The committee has also sent a telegram to Fiji’s representative at the United Nations (Mr Satya Nandani applauding his stand against [ French pollution of the en- ; vironffient and urging him to continue his efforts. NO U.K. efforl The British Government will not make any special effort to persuade France to drop its nuclear test programme in the Pacific, the New Zealand High Commissioner (Mr T. H. McCombs) was told yesterday by the British Prime Minister (Mr Heath), reports an N.Z.P.A. staff correspondent. Mr McCombs went to 10 Downing Street to deliver a copy of Mr Kirk's appeal to the Governments of the world to try to persuade the French to halt the Mururoa programme, and obey the in-; terim injunction issued by the World Court last week. “There was no change in (the official British attitude.” said Mr McCombs after the •30-minute meeting with Mr Heath.

The British have main-! tained that their opposition' to atmospheric testing is well known to the French. It has been clear for some [time that the British are not prepared to upset the new [relationship they are striving for with the French, by in-

tervening in the nuclear test issue, and it is unlikely that this attitude will change. In Paris there has been little comment in the national press on the tests. Some observers, however, feel that there has been a slight hardening in favour of continuing with the Mururoa programme since the NixonBrezhnev summit. “Le Monde.” which has taken an editorial line against the tests, expressed anxiety about the world’s “super-Powers” doing a nuclear deal which would encroach on the independence of France.