Skyhawk purchase talks to continue in Canberra

Press, 1 March 1984, Page 26

Skyhawk purchase talks to continue in Canberra

NZPA staff correspondent Hong Kong The Minister of Defence, Mr Thomson, said from Kuala Lumpur on Monday evening that the possibility of buying 10 second-hand Skyhawk aircraft from Australia would be discussed when he meets Australian officials in Canberra on March 10 during the annual Australia-New. Zealand defence talks. Mr Thomson, who is on a three-week tour of SouthElast Asia and Australia, said that any agreement on buying the aircraft would be at Government-to-Govern-ment level.

“To the best of my knowledge, although there has been discussion on the matter, no agreement has been reached,” he said. It has been reported in New Zealand that officials meeting in Wellington last week agreed on lowering the initial Australian asking . price of about sAust7o million. The Government decided in its recently released Defence Review to retain the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s existing Skyhawks, which have structural damage, and refurbish them, as well as buying other secondhand Skyhawks. Mr Thomson has spent

the last three days in SingaEore and Malaysia where he ad talks with senior defence and foreign affairs officials, including Singapore’s Defence Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong, and saw something of the armed forces in each country.

New Zealand has its closest defence ties within the Association of South-East Asian Nations with the two countries, which, with Australia and Britain, are part of the Five Power Defence Arrangement .

Mr Thomson said the Government’s decision, announced in the recent defence review, to retain the New Zealand defence presence in Singapore, had been welcomed by both Singapore and Malaysia, where much of the force’s training takes place. “The indications from the Ministers in those countries were that our decision was very well received,” said Mr Thomson. He said that his talks, which had covered the common defence concerns of the region including worries about the build-up of the Soviet naval presence in the Pacific, had gone very well. Mr Thomson arrived in Bangkok yesterday for a six-day visit and talks with Thai leaders on several issues, including the Kampuchean problem. He will call on Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prem Tinsulanonda, and Deputy Defence Minister, Paniang Kamtarat, and today is scheduled to hold talks with the Supreme Commander, General Arthit Kamlang-Ek, and the Secretary General of the National Security Council, Prasong Soonsiri. Mr Thomson is due to go on to Indonesia on Sunday.