U.S. Navy secretary ‘sabre-rattling’

Press, 4 April 1987, Page 8

U.S. Navy secretary ‘sabre-rattling’

By

CHRIS MOORE

The Mayor of Christchurch, Sir Hamish Hay, yesterday accused the United States Secretary of the Navy, Mr John Lehman, of “sabre rattling.” Sir Hamish was replying to Mr Lehman’s earlier claim that the United States Government was studying the future of the United States naval base at Christchurch Airport According to Mr Lehman, there had been recommendations that the inter-departmental Antarctic policy group should be convened “to look seriously at moving out of Christchurch” in view of the New Zealand Government’s anti-nuclear legislation. However, Sir Hamish was confident of as-

surances by the National Science Foundation that the Antarctic support base would remain at Christchurch. He had Deen assured by the foundation that there was no likelihood of moving the operation "and I have every confidence in their assurances,” he said. In spite of reports that the Tasmanian state government was continuing to lobby for the base to be moved to Hobart, Sir Hamish said that Hobart would be very difficult to work from. The United States base already had a big investment in Christchurch. New Zealand’s Ambassador to the United States, Sir Wallace Rowling, declined to comment on the retiring Navy Secretary’s latest remarks when

reached by “The Press” in Washington yesterday. Any comment would, be left to the United States Embassy in New Zealand. He would not pursue the matter with Mr Lehman. The Deputy Prime Minister and member of.' Parliament for Christchurch Central, Mr Palmer, said that he would oppose any plan to shift the base which had been part of Christchurch for many years. “Mr Lehman has been making these remarks for so long that he is beginning to sound like a broken record,” Mr Palmer said. The American Embassy in Wellington again denied any intention to move the base. “As we have stated time and time again, there is

no intention to shift Deep Freeze. We do not anticipate such a move,” an embassy spokesman said yesterday. “The Department of Defence has contingency studies for virtually every contingency which might occur. This report simple signals prudent contingency planning should events in New Zealand ever cause disruption in our Antarctic support activity.”. The embassy has also denied plans to move the Black Birch observatory. “Although the Black Birch observatory is unconnected with Deep Freeze, it is sited because of a similar perfect location for its work. "There have never been any, nor are there any plans to shift Black Birch,” the spokesman said.