A.N.Z.U.S. may discuss non-nuclear Pacific

Press, 19 July 1983, Page 1

A.N.Z.U.S. may discuss non-nuclear Pacific

NZPA staff correspondent Washington Turning the South Pacific into a nuclear-weapon-free zone was likely to be a topic at the A.N.Z.U.S. talks in Washington today and tomorrow, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Cooper, here yesterday.

The New Zealand Government was opposed to the United States Navy’s plans to scuttle obsolete nuclear submarines in the Pacific, and was opposed to nuclear storage in the area, he said. However, major talks on the nuclear-free zone concept were more likely during the meeting of heads of government of South Pacific Forum countries in Canberra next month, he said. “We virtually have a nuclear-free zone in the South Pacific, specially the south-western Pacific. If you look at nuclear storage there is none — if you look at nuclear dumping there is none,” said Mr Cooper. The Government, “at this particular time,” did not want any dumping and did not want any storage, he said, but it still had to be recognised that A.N.Z.U.S. put New Zealand alongside

the United States — “the defence giant of the West.” . Taking part in the A.N.Z.U.S. talks with Mr Cooper are the American Secretary of State, Mr George Shultz; the Defence Secretary, Mr Caspar Weinberger; the Australian Foreign Minister, Mr Bill Hayden; and the Australian Defence Minister, Mr Gordon Scholes. New Zealand’s Ministry of Defence is represented by the Secretary, Mr Dennis McLean. Mr Cooper said there was now “a semblance of a final document” for the talks, but warned that “it would be quite wrong to give the impression that we’ve arrived here to rubber-stamp a communique.” Washington sources say the communique is usually in final form by the start of the annual meeting, but New Zealand had objected to some of the wording of a

draft communique circulated by the Americans this year. Nothing had changed since last year’s meeting in Canberra that would give the Government reason to think that the treaty was not still a viable document, said Mr Cooper. Mr Cooper said he would discuss military procurement during his visit, and indicated that he would ask for American aid to buy military material. A Royal New Zealand Air Force team visited the United States recently to inspect and test fly planes which might replace New Zealand’s ageing Skyhawks. “If New Zealand’s purchases add to the economy of scale in regard to defence equipment, and if it of course would mean a strengthening of the alliance, we would be hopeful that they would recognise a preference,” he said.