Group applauds handling of Warrior affair

Press, 25 July 1986, Page 5

Group applauds handling of Warrior affair

PA Wellington The New Zealand Nuclear-Free Zone Committee has applauded the Government’s handling of the Rainbow Warrior affair.

The committee’s secre-tary-manager, Mr Larry Ross, said New Zealand had won an important victory for itself and for the United Nations’ principles of peaceful resolution of disputes. The Government deserved credit for this.

Mr Ross said the resolution of the dispute and consolidation of New Zealand’s E.E.C. trade put New Zealand in a much stronger position to move ahead with nuclear-free zone legislation and to weather any adverse reaction.

While complaints about the transfer of the French agents to Hao were understandable, there were

other factors to consider.

While the agents were jailed in New Zealand, the French people would have felt “angry, vindictive and justified” in what they did, but after the settlement they would have to accept guilt because their Government had admitted it, apologised, called off their trade boycott, and paid compensation, Mr Ross said.

This was amazing considering the French selfimage, and a great lesson to the French people.

“Mafart and Prieur were only pawns,” said Mr Ross. “It is the Mitterrand Government that ordered the crime and the guilt is now officially accepted where it belongs.

“For other nations it is a marvellous example to see a powerful nuclear nation admitting guilt, apologising and paying for its crime against a small nation and Greenpeace.”