Cabinet in dark on A.N.Z.U.S.

Press, 27 April 1989, Page 1

Cabinet in dark on A.N.Z.U.S.

By

BRENDON BURNS

in Wellington

The Acting Prime Minister, Mr Palmer, yesterday cautioned people not to believe that the Cabinet would necessarily endorse Mr Lange’s suggestion that New Zealand withdraw from the A.N.Z.U.S. Council.

The Cabinet had clearly not been advised of the tenor of what Mr Lange planned to say at his speech on Anzac Day to Yale University. Mr Palmer yesterday summoned the head of the Ministry of External Relations and Trade,

Mr Graham Ansell, to brief him on the implications of Mr Lange’s address. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Marshall, also attended. The Minister of Police, Mr Tapsell, was caught unawares, telling an Anzac Day meeting in Katikati that the Gov-

ernment would not withdraw from A.N.Z.U.S. The Minister of Defence, Mr Tizard, was also not consulted. Asked for an interview yesterday, a spokeswoman for Mr Tizard replied; “He’s got absolutely no details other than a transcript of the A.N.Z.U.S. speech and he’s not prepared to talk about it.”

Mr Tizard, Mr Palmer, Mr Marshall and other Ministers did, however, defend Mr Lange’s speech in Parliament during a snap debate sought by the Opposition. National’s leader, Mr Bolger, said the Prime Minister had belittled the dead by his choice of Anzac Day. He suggested Mr Lange had behaved irrationally, and was rattling the nuclear drum to prevent Left-wing Labour members leaving to join Mr Jim Anderton.

But in a television interview last evening, Mr Lange was unrepentant. Repeating a 1987 election theme, he said New Zealanders could choose between being nuclear-free under Labour or

having nuclear ship visits under National. He had no apology for choosing Anzac Day. “I believe that is the proper day to do that,” he said. Mr Lange said it was for the Cabinet to decide if New Zealand

withdrew from the A.N.Z.U.S. Council and the matter was not urgent. Asked if the Cabinet had been informed of what he planned to say, he said it was told of the various options available, Mr Palmer said it remained to

be seen whether the Cabinet endorsed Mr Lange’s proposal. “It would be very premature therefore to speculate on the outcome and I also say that it would be wrong to expect a quick decision.” He said the Yale speech contained little that was new, although Mr Lange had hailed it before leaving New Zealand as a major foreign policy address. “Nothing has changed very much as a result of that speech and I don’t think very much will change as a result of that speech,” said Mr Palmer. . He and other Ministers told the House that New Zealand could not withdraw from A.N.Z.U.S., only the A.N.Z.U.S. Council. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Marshall, said New Zealand was already suspended from the Council — “it was done by the United States.” He found it strange that American representatives as senior as President could meet with Soviet leaders, but refused to hold talks with a country still described as a friend. He said the United States was the place to deliver the message

that New Zealand’s anti-nuclear policy would not change, as it wanted to see a return to the previous policy. Mr Marshall said New Zealand must not ignore nor downplay its defence relationship with Australia.

But Mr Bolger said the Prime Minister had gone too far in his speech — “irrational or not.” “It does New Zealand no good,” he said. “It is very clear that it has created anger in Canberra and anger in Washington.”

Mr Bolger pledged that a National Government would work to restore A.N.Z.U.S. as the cornerstone of defence for New Zealand. He and other National M.P.s rose in angry points of order when Mr Palmer suggested this meant National would welcome a return to ships carrying nuclear arms.

Such assertions were contrary to the truth, said Mr Bolger. However, he did not provide details of how such ship visits would be avoided, apart from saying a senior U.S. State Department official, Mr Paul Wolfowitz, had said his country would not seek to send nuclear-armed ships to New Zealand. Yesterday, the American Embassy in Wellington confirmed it had received no prior advice on the content of Mr Lange’s speech at Yale. It is understood the issue was not raised at a Cabinet lunch last week hosting the departing United States Ambassador to Wellington, Mr Paul Cleveland. Australia’s High Commission also received no notice, and neither did Canberra.