N.Z. will be without allies—defence expert

Press, 13 December 1986, Page 10

N.Z. will be without allies —defence expert

PA Wellington New Zealand will be left to stand alone without allies if the Government proceeds with its antinuclear policy, says the chairman of the Government’s Defence Committee of Inquiry, Mr Frank Corner. Mr Corner said yesterday that he was astounded that New Zealand had allowed itself to get into the present situation with the A.N.Z.U.S. relationship and defence policy without any public debate. The country’s defence policy had effectively been hijacked by a small group within the antinuclear movement.

"Imagine if it were the United States, which is a very open society, if a disaster like this had occurred where we’re now off-side with all our traditional friends. In the United States there would be an enormous Congressional inquiry of the kind that’s going on at the moment.”

Mr Corner made this remark just a day after Australia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Bill Hayden, made it clear that Australia could not expand its defence relationship with New Zealand.

Mr Comer, the former Secretary of Foreign Affairs and New Zealand Ambassador in Washington, said yesterday he was not surprised at the hard line taken by Mr Hayden during this week’s official visit.

Because most New Zealanders’ preference for a continued A.N.Z.U.S. relationship with both the United States and Australia was precluded by the Government’s antinuclear policy, the Defence Committee had studied the option of an enhanced defence relationship with Australia — the “Hobson’s choice,” said Mr Corner. “Those difficulties have turned out to be real ones and where that leaves us, really, is with nothing ex-

cept our own efforts which, even if we spent a great deal of money and effort would probably, according to military people, be inadequate,” Mr Comer said.

“All that seems to be left to us is standing alone without allies in any significant way, if we continue with the present policy.”

Mr Corner said there had been indications of these sorts of difficulties in developing the defence relationship with Australia, “but certain Ministers have just said: ‘There are no difficulties, we can fix this up at the official level.’

“They’ve just closed their eyes, or, if they have not closed their eyes, they’ve been telling the public things that weren’t actually so.”

The situation was unprecedented for New Zealand, Mr Corner said. “It is a matter of the most fundamental importance. New Zealanders have not considered it

seriously and have never been made aware of the magnitude of the practical situation that they have let themselves in for.”

Mr Corner said there was a small minority of New Zealanders, particularly within the Labour Party, who wanted the country to be neutral and non-aligned, like Sweden. Because of pressure from certain elements of the movement, motivated largely by anti-American-ism, the Government had not been willing to contemplate a compromise over the American neither confirm nor deny policy.

A large proportion of the anti-nuclear movement comprised people motivated by a genuine anti-nuclear emotion. But poll figures had shown that the movement also comprised other groups which wanted to harness the anti-nuclear sentiment for their own purposes — “so a small group has now hijacked the country.”