Lange’s proposition ‘amazes’ McKinnon

Press, 26 April 1989, Page 9

Lange’s proposition ‘amazes’ McKinnon

NZPA Washington Proposals to quit the A.N.Z.U.S. Council would cause “outrage” in Washington, annoy the Australians and “incense” New Zealanders, the deputy leader of the Opposition, Mr McKinnon, said. The concept raised by the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, would mean New Zealand “walking back into the future of Third World neutrality,” he said. Mr McKinnon, speaking from Washington where he is seeing congressmen, senators and members of the Bush Administration, described Mr Lange’s statement as “amazing.” “It is important for New Zealand to be part of a collective defence arrangement,” he said. “It will obviously annoy the Hawke Government and leave a number of Pacific island States, which look towards New Zealand and believe there should be some responsibility there, high and dry.” Mr McKinnon said the National Party policy was to get New Zealand back into an A.N.Z.U.S.-type arrangement for collective defence. But that would be made more difficult if the Labour Government formally withdrew New Zealand from A.N.Z.U.S., he said. From his talks in Washington, held before the Prime Minister’s proposition became known, he had determined the United States’ view was that an “empty chair” was awaiting New Zealand at the A.N.Z.U.S. council. If Labour did what Mr Lange intended, National would have to devise ways of getting “back into the room” again with Australia and the United States, he said,

“in a way acceptable to the other partners that does not mean policy being turned on and off again like a tap.” Mr McKinnon, the Opposition defence spokesman, is to talk to the hew United States Defence Secretary, Mr Richard Cheney, today. The proposition advanced by Mr Lange can in part be seen as a domestic political strategy to force the National Party to make clear where it stands on nuclear policy and not leave the issue muddied, as before the 1987 election. Mr Lange indicated as much at a press conference after his Yale speech, agreeing to a question that it could force National into declaring its position. “It would be interesting to see them have to do that because they changed their mind at the last election,” he said. However, he would not concede the proposition could also be seen as a way of placating the Left-wing of the Labour Party, giving it something while other domestic policies were pursued by the Government. “There is an argument which some people will mount like that,” he said. “I believe it should be an issue which is judged as between a nation and its Government, which has to be concerned for our security.” Mr Lange was heading back to New York to deliver an economic-orientated address to the Asia Society before flying on to Ottawa for talks with the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Mulroney, today. The Canadian Government is sending a plane to take Mr Lange from New York to Ottawa.