Chch man in Oslo court

Press, 9 May 1981, Page 6

Chch man in Oslo court

NZPA London A New Zealander, Owen Wilkes, said yesterday he would appear voluntarily in court in Oslo next week to face charges of publishing information about electronic intelligence bases in Norway. “l am not compelled to be in court, but I am going because I have nothing to hide,” he said. Mr Wilkes, aged 40, formerly of Christchurch, was speaking by telephone from Stockholm where he works as a researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The trial, which will open .on Monday, comes after the publication of a report on the

intelligence stations by Mr Wilkes and a Norwegian, Nils Petter Gleditsch, another peace researcher. MrGleditsch will, ' stand trial ■; with Mr Wilkes. There have been suggestions published in London that Mr Wilkes, who campaigned actively .against United States military installations in New Zealand, might not go to Oslo tfecause he had been denied an interpreter for the court hearing. However, he said yesterday: “I’ll definitely be there.” Mr Wilkes said the court was providing him with a “whispering” interpreter for the trial. “He stands beside me and

whispers in my ear,” he said. “I am rather disturbed about this because it means no-one else in the courtroom can hear and .check that he translates precisely what is said. The translation may not be accurate. ; “It just means I am going to . have, Jo interrupt the proceedings quite often.” : Mr ‘ Wilkes said the Norwegian Government “more or less” accepted that the reports which led to the charges were based on sources accessible to the public. - . “But they are saying we, put all this non-secret information together and' created, a new .piece of., in-

formation which should have been secret,” he said. “The actual charge more or less translates into making public issues which should not have been made public issues out of concern for the security of Norway. • “They are sort of creating a new crime. It is okay to have any one of these pieces of information, but it is not okay to put them together.” Mr Wilkes and Mr Gleditsch have said they made their investigation because they, believed electronic listening bases in Norway made an important contribution to western military capability.