Opposition to rights bizarre, says Lange

Press, 6 October 1988, Page 16

Opposition to rights bizarre, says Lange

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington Opposition to the Soviet Union having landing rights in New Zealand for Aeroflot has been described as “bizarre” by the t’rime Minister, Mr Lange. He was referring to comments by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger, that “the Government’s move to reopen the question of landing rights for Aeroflot shows how far it had drifted from the Western alliance.” Many other nations had

granted landing rights to Aeroflot, Mr Lange said, which now flew scheduled services into New York and Washington. Discussions were being held with the Soviet Union on having fisheries servicing ties in New Zealand. That included the right to change crews and to fly them in and out on Aeroflot, he said. There was no proposal to have scheduled flights from Aeroflot, just charter flights as and when crew changes were needed. “There is no indication that granting such rights

would put New Zealand somewhere between Albania and Nicaragua,” Mr Lange said. When asked by Mr Bolger why he had changed from his earlier opposition to granting Aeroflot landing rights here, the Prime Minister said that in the last three years there had been substantial changes in the Soviet leadership and attitudes to the Western world. Mr Bolger said giving Aeroflot landing rights was a very serious and worrying suggestion.