Govt ban on visit by Royal Navy N-ship confirmed

Press, 23 February 1985, Page 1

Govt ban on visit by Royal Navy N-ship confirmed

PA Wellington New Zealand would have to make its own assessment of the nuclear capacity of any British warship that seeks permission for a port visit, said the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, yesterday. He confirmed that the Government would ban a visit by a British warship which was nuclear-powered or assessed to be nuclearppwered. ’ Mr Lange was responding to a report that the British Prime Minister, Mrs Thatcher, had turned against his Government yesterday because of her disappointment with Mr Lange’s anti-nuclear stance. It was reported that Mrs Thatcher thumped the table at a Washington press conference and declared she would refuse to tell New Zealand whether British warships were carrying nuclear weapons. Previously Whitehall has projected a hands-off approach to the A.N.Z.U.S. row, and Ministers have emphasised Britain’s friend-

ship with New Zealand. Britain has confirmed it is considering a warship visit to New Zealand in 1986, and officials have said the lack of immediacy meant their Government could “play the issue long.” But Mrs Thatcher’s visit to Washington this week has been largely aimed at reassuring Americans about Britain’s commitment to the Western alliance. Asked about New Zealand’s demand for a clear declaration whether ships seeking port visits are carrying nuclear weapons, Mrs Thatcher banged the table and said, “I cannot answer their question.”

She said in answer to a question, “I am as disappointed as you are in the approach taken by the New Zealand Prime Minister.”

Mrs Thatcher said Mr Lange was aware of her views.

“All our ships are seconded to N.A.T.0.,” she said. “At a moment’s notice they may, be instructed to take up N.A.T.O. positions

and they must be prepared to carry whatever is appropriate to their N.A.T.O. task. “I have no intention whatever of revealing whether nuclear weaponry is part of the armoury of particular British ships,” said Mrs Thatcher. “Either they must not ask if these ships are carrying any, or if they do, we won’t say. “I shall be very disappointed if Royal Navy ships cannot visit New Zealand,” she said. “The people of New Zealand are very close to the people of Britain. I think they will be very disappointed.” Mrs Thatcher is due to hold talks with Mr Lange in London next week. After the two Prime Ministers met in September last year Mr Lange said Mrs Thatcher had given an “emphatic” account of Britain’s commitment to N.A.T.O. But she was “not consumed” by New Zealand’s anti-nuclear stance and the two leaders did not want the issue to divide them, he said.