Door for N.Z. products open wider — P.M.

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34147, 7 May 1976, Page 1

Door for N.Z. products open wider — P.M.

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, May 6. The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) said today he hoped the door for New Zealand products had been opened a little wider as a result of his month-long visit to Britain, France, Korea, Japan and China.

Although his mission had been essentially one of good will and not one of trade negotiation, in each capital particular matters affecting bilateral relationships were discussed, he said.

He was reluctant to pin-point his most significant achievement, but when pressed he said the Japanese had been made to understand that the economic relationship between the two countries was a total package.

Products such as wood and pulp would not be traded without a deal for farm produce.

“I made clear the New Zealand view that the difficulties now facing us in the Japanese market for some of our key agricultural exports could be removed without injury to Japan’s domestic producers,” he said. “I pointed out that Japan’s exports to New Zealand have expanded in a steady and predictable manner.

“And I emphasised that we expected Japan will provide New Zealand with comparable stability in the market it offers us for our agricul-

tura! exports and that our economic relationship must be viewed as a whole, and that agricultural exports were an indispensable part of the whole.” He said his visit to Britain was timely as Mr Callaghan had just become Prime Minister and had reconstructed the Cabinet.

"I think Mr Callaghan’s attitude was very helpful indeed. He said ‘I am on your side and we will do what we can to help New Zealand in the E.E.C. context’.” Mr Muldoon said.

In talks with the SecretaryGeneral of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Mr Van Lennep) he said he bad pointed out the intolerable situation in which countries such as New Zealand were placed when the major trading countries considered, themselves entitled to insist on free trade in industrial products while retaining freedom to restrict trade in agricultural products. Turning to Korea, he said

the expanding South Korean economy offered good prospects for New Zealand exporters. Annual trade had reached s3om but the potential had hardly begun to be touched.

“I regard South Korea as one of the most promising markets we have in Asia, particularly for pastoral products but also for a growing range of our manufactured goods,’’ he said. The situation on the Korean peninsula dominated his talks with President Park Chung Hee and Prime Minister Choi Kyu Hah.

“I was assured that they had no aggressive intentions towards the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea but were compelled to maintain a state of militarv preparedness in the face of North Korea’s constant provocations. “I accept these assurances. It seems to me essential that if the danger of further conflict is to be removed, the authorities in Pyongyang must respond positively to the readiness of the Republic of Korea to resume the twoway dialogue.”

Mr Muldoon said the one point of disagreement that came out of his talks in Peking concerned the action to reduce tension in Korea.