R.S.L. critical of N-ban

Press, 12 June 1986, Page 8

R.S.L. critical of N-ban

PA Wellington The Australian Returned Services League views with concern the New Zealand Government’s port ban on nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered warships, the R.S.A. conference has been told. Brigadier Alf Garland (retired) of the R.S.L., said the virtual dismantling of A.N.Z.U.S. had a serious impact on security of the region. Initially it appeared that the Australian Labour Government would follow a similar policy. However, Mr Hawke’s. Government rethought the problem. Brigadier Garland said the reason for the relative peace of the last 40 years was the nuclear deterrent. The recently released Dibb report on Australia’s military capabilities pointed out that Australia,

under A.N.Z.U.S., received things from the United States that it could not get elsewhere. He said the breakdown of A.N.Z.U.S. was also causing problems in the New Zealand-Australia relationship. “It will become increasingly difficult, at least on the surface,, to maintain close ties,” he said. It was good to know that the New Zealand population “in general” shared many of the views of the R.S.A. on defence matters. Most pressure for disarmament in the world was directed at the United States rather than at the Soviet Union. The world was under threat from “imperial communism” and the only area where this was not the case, until recently, was the southwest Pacific.

“The U.S.S.R. covets the geopolitical prize of the south-west Pacific. . If A.N.Z.U.S. dies the U.S.S.R. will be the only beneficiary,” he said. The recent fishing deal between the Soviet Union and Kiribati was the thin end of the wedge Vanuatu was considering a similar deal. “The last thing we want is the U.S.S.R. with an installation on our back door,” he said. ■ Involvement of Soviet “surrogates” such, as Cuba and Libya in the region was not occurring because those countries like the local people but because they were anti-American, he said. Brigadier Garland said he was “sure your Defence Minister would agree with everything I have had to say.”