Reaffirmation of policy delights

Press, 14 June 1983, Page 13

Reaffirmation of policy delights

Parliamentary reporter The reaffirmation of Labour policy on nuclear vessels by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Lange, has delighted the party’s environment spokesman, Dr M. J. Cullen (St Kilda). The party policy, as stated in the 1981 manifesto, was that no nuclearpowered or \ nuclear-armed warships would be permitted in New Zealand territorial waters. Mr Lange recently upset party members when he ‘suggested that nuclearpowered vessels should be allowed access, but nucleararmed vessels should not. However, in a feature report in “The Press” on June 7, Mr Lange said that he did not want to change the party policy, but to extend the territorial prohibittion to a nuclear-free zone in the South Pacific. “I have avoided public comment before as it did not seem to be helpful,” Dr Cullen said. “But I am delighted now that David Lange has reaffirmed that 1981 policy statement by

accepting completely that under Labour there will be no nuclear-armed or nuclear-propelled ships in New Zealand’s territorial waters.” Mr Lange said recently that a Labour government might have to accept as a condition of a zone in which nuclear weapons were neither installed nor deployed, that nuclearpowered and nuclear-armed vessels would have to be given transit. Dr Cullen said he welcomed his leader’s practical initiatives in setting up such a zone, and agreed that although New Zealand could ban offending vessels from its territorial waters, it could not necessarily achieve that in the South pacific. “We have to have the concurrence of all relevant territorial powers, including Australia and the United States,” he said. “We also have to observe our responsibilities in international law on the free movement of shipping,” Dr Cullen said.