N.Z. has ‘withdrawn’ co-operation

Press, 6 March 1985, Page 1

N.Z. has ‘withdrawn’ co-operation

By

PATRICIA HERBERT

in Wellington

The Americans tried for seven months to persuade New Zealand to accept ship visits under their neither confirm-nor-deny nuclear weapons policy, said the United States Ambassador. Mr Monroe Browne, yesterday.

His Government was sorry that its “constructive effort” to restore normal port access was frustrated, he said. It had not wanted to cut its involvement with New Zealand and it had still not closed the door on an agreement.

Mr Browne said the United States had been forced to review its activities with New Zealand under A.N.Z.U.S. because New Zealand had changed the operational character of the alliance. He indicated that there would be more cancellations than those already notified.

“Our decisions will be forthcoming on a case-by-case basis but clearly our review must take into account New Zealand’s withdrawal of co-operation,” he said.

“The measures we have taken are all reversible and we want to reverse them. For this reason we want to keep talking with New Zealand,” he said.

Mr Browne was addressing the Hawera Presbyterian Men’s Fellowship on defence co-operation with New Zealand from an American viewpoint. He had agreed to the engagement and the topic last November, before the A.N.Z.U.S. row flared up, and was clearly reluctant to step publicly into the controversy. He said, however, that he believed he owed the fellowship his perspective and that he wanted also to thank the “many New Zealanders” who had written to the embassy expressing their

continuing friendship for the United States and "their dismay at the present situation." ’

Mr Browne also made it plain that the United States’ refusal to disclose the presence of nuclear weapons was, and would remain, non-negotiable and that the American Government’s aim was to get New Zealand to back down. Mr Browne said, while the A.N.Z.U.S. treaty did not oblige New Zealand to admit nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered warships into its ports, the “grudging fulfilment of minimum obligations" was hardly compatible with asking an allied nation "to exert itself or to place its own security at risk for you." He gave an assurance, however, that the United States would maintain its military strength in the South Pacific region and throughout the world as “the surest path to arms control."

He also repeated assurances from his Government that American reprisals against New Zealand would be limited to the defence and security area and that it was not President Reagan’s policy to impose trade sanctions. However, he made it clear that this did not rule out the threat to New Zealand exports. He said the Administration believed in free trade and had been notably successful in defeating protectionist legislation. When New Zealand products had been the target, it had had until now “the strong political argument that New Zealand was a reliable ally.

“But our executive branch, which does not control the Congress, has now been deprived of the reliable ally argument,” he said. “That is another unfortunate result of your Government’s decision."