Bid to join Conference on Disarmament

Press, 4 March 1988, Page 8

Bid to join Conference on Disarmament

PA Wellington The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Marshall, pressed for New Zealand to be admitted as a full ijnember of!‘the Conference on Disarmament in an address to the conference in Geneva yesterday. ; The conference is the sole multi-lateral negotiating forum bn disarmament at which New Zealand has had observer status since 1984. j Mr Marshall, who also jiolds the [disarmament and arms Control portfolio, admitted that gaining full j membership [would not be easy. New Zealand did, not want to jump the ■ membership queue and displace others seeking membership. The composition of the conference should be examined with a view to admitting all countries which could; make contri-

butions to disarmament. "We could make a further contribution to your; conference's work if we! were on a more equal footing with other mem--bers," Mr Marshall said. I The conference needed to build on progress in disarmament between the United States■ and the Soviet Union, i i

“The international community as a whole! must support the United [States and the Soviet Union in their endeavours, but it must also-have an [active role itself in the disarmament process,” he said. ! "Many issues ! are simply not capable of resolution by the two largest nuclear powers alone/’ Multi-lateral work on disarmament, a nuclear test ban and banning chemical weapons' were needed through trie conference, Mr Marshall said.