U.S. calls off trip

Press, 8 February 1985, Page 1

U.S. calls off trip

PA Wellington American retaliation for New Zealand’s refusal to allow a nuclear-capable warship visit has led to the United States calling off a visit of Parliament’s defence committee to the United States military headquarters in Hawaii.

The chairman of the select commitee on defence, the Government member for Napier, Mr Geoff Braybrooke, made an immediate personal criticism of the postponement of the trip. It was a “show of pique” by the American Ambassador to New Zealand, Mr Monroe Browne, he said. The committee, including two other Government members, Messrs Jack Elder (West Auckland) and Jim Sutton (Waitaki), and three Opposition members, Messrs Douglas Kidd (Marlborough), Norman Jones (Invercargill) and Michael Cox (Manawatu), was due to fly to Honolulu on February 19 in an R.N.Z.A.F. plane. But Mr Braybrooke was told late on Wednesday by the American Embassy that the trip was off. “They have postponed the visit — I am told that they do not consider the time to be appropriate,” said Mr Braybrooke. “I personally feel, if you want me to be really honest, I think it is a show of pique, especially by the United States Ambassador here, Mr Monroe Browne.”

Mr Braybrooke said he believed a visit by the defence select committee containing members of both sides of the House could have greatly cooled the row over ship visits and A.N.Z.U.S. “I think we would have learnt a lot by going there,” he said. “I am certain that the Americans just may have seen our point of view a little clearer.

“However, the Americans have decided that the select committee on defence will not go, and we of course accept that, but I am very disappointed in the attitude of our American allies.” It would have been the first trip for the defence committee travelling as a guest of the Americans at the official invitation of Admiral William Crowe, the American Commander in the Pacific.