N.A.T.O. change on missiles?

Press, 30 May 1981, Page 9

N.A.T.O. change on missiles?

NZPA-Reuter . The Hague

Dutch reluctance t<saccept American, nuclear weapons could forge the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to review its plans for a European missile network, according to Western diplomats’ . ’

The assessment follows-, a serious election setback for the Dutch. Prime Minister; Mr Andries van Agt, with the missile project a key issue in haggling over the formation of a new government. The diplomats said that Mr van Agt’s attempt to hold on to power would involve hard political compromises, virtually ruling out any prospect of an early decision on missile deployment. Dutch sources agreed that the political manoeuvring now urider way made it highly unlikely that the Prime Minister could keep to a promise that The Netherlands, would decide by Christmas whether to accept 48 American Cruise missiles.

The missiles have become a dominant issue in Dutch politics, with only one of the country's four main political parties unreservedly in fa-

.your of accepting them on Dutch soil.

The Rightist pro-nuclear Liberal-Party .is in danger of losing its position in Mr van Agt’s Centre-Right coalition as the {Christian Democratic Prime Minister seeks to give his Government a more Cen-tre-Left orientation.

The coalition, which is now acting as a caretaker Cabinet, lost its narrow parliamentary lead in a General Election on Tuesday. It needs outside support because it is two seats short of the majority essential to get its policies through the Lower House. Political commentators believe that Mr van Agt may have to ditch his Liberal allies to form a new alignment with the Labour Party and the Left-of-Centre Democrats ’66, both of which oppose the missile deployment plans.

The Netherlands is one of five N.A.T.O. countries earmarked to receive 572 American medium-range missiles to counter what the alliance sees as a mounting threat from Soviet SS2O warheads targeted against Western Eu-