‘United States and N.Z. ties will strengthen’

Press, 7 June 1982, Page 2

‘United States and N.Z. ties will strengthen’

NZPA staff correspondent Washington The member of Parliament for Marlborough, Mr D. L. Kidd, talking in Washington with senior American officials, said that he had ’gained the impression that the defence relationship between the United States and New Zealand would strengthen over the next few years. This, he said on Friday, was because of growing fears of the risk of closing of the sea lanes by the Soviet naval, presence at Da Nang and Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam, the danger of countries making claims for resources, and the growing Soviet presence in the South Pacific. Mr Kidd, in Washington

under his own auspices after a month in Britain on a Commonwealth Press Union study programme, said that he felt the Americans appreciated the importance of New Zealand as a reliable ally much more now ’than they did at the time of his last visit, two years ago. The attitude of the Labour party to A.N.Z.U.S. and visits to New Zealand by nuclearpowered warships has “clearly been occupying the Americans’ minds in some detail,” he said. This was the first opportunity the Americans had had to discuss with a Government member of Parliament, the defence review and the bill on defence introduced by the Labour M.P., Mr R. W. Prebble, and which

was defeated by only one vote, Mr Kidd said. Mr Kidd said he was using the trip to brief himself on American thinking on defence. He arrived in Washington on Wednesday and will leave today for Honolulu, where he will talk with the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific, Admiral Richard Long, and his staff. Other subjects he has canvassed include the evolution of the A.N.Z.U.S. pact and opportunities for major military purchases. He had also discussed the lessons of the Falklands war and its implications for the security of the southern oceans. Mr Kidd was pleased by his reception in Washington and said that his talks so far had been frank and open.