Criticism of N.Z. role at U.N. talks

Press, 17 June 1982, Page 6

Criticism of N.Z. role at U.N. talks

PA • , Wellington New Zealand should have sent its Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Cooper) to the United Nations’ second special session on disarmament rather than its Ambassador to the U.N., according to four Labour members of Parliament.

They said their comments were in no way a criticism of the Ambassador, Mr H. H. Francis, who .was "just carrying out his instructions.”, However, the speech he made to the conference was’ little ,more than diplomatic rhetoric, they asserted. The four Labour members, who are members of Parliament’s Select Committee on Disarmament and. Arms Control, are Ms Helen Clark (Mount Albert), Mr B. P. MacDonell (Dunedin Central), Mr M. K. Moore

(Papanui), and Mr R. W. Prebble (Auckland Central). “Britain, by contrast, is being represented by Mrs Thatcher and most nations are being represented by their Prime Minister, President, or Foreign Minister,” they said. “New Zealand’s failure to send at least, the Foreign Minister will be interpreted either as a lack of concern about the alarming nuclear arms' race, or as a vote of no-confidence by the Cabinet in Mr Cooper’s ability to handle himself at the United Nations.” The New Zealand speech did not contain any mention of a freeze on the testing or production of nuclear arms, condemnation of French testing in the_Pacific, or positive proposals for what New Zealand intended to do about creating a nuclear-free Pacific, they said.