Short U.S. invitation

Press, 26 June 1989, Page 1

Short U.S. invitation

NZPA-AAP Canberra The United States Defence Secretary, Mr Richard Cheney, said yesterday he would not hesitate to talk to any New Zealand Government Ministers, in spite of New Zealand’s ban on visits by warships with nuclear capacities. Mr Cheney was immediately contradicted by United States Defence Department officials, who said the ban on talks with New Zealand Minister would remain as long as the New Zealand ban on United States ships continued. Mr Cheney met the deputy Leader of the Opposition, Mr Don McKinnon, in Washington in April. He did not meet the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, who was visiting the United States capital at the same time.

Yesterday Mr Cheney told the Nine Network’s “Sunday” programme in an interview from Washington that, unlike Mr McKinnon, Mr Lange had not requested a meeting with him.

He said he would not hesitate to see any senior New Zealand Government Minister who requested a meeting.

“That is a basic standard rule of thumb; I’ll see virtually any allied leader who wants to see me, whatever their party might be,” Mr Cheney said. “I mean, there is no effort on our part to discriminate.” According to the “Sunday” programme, United States Defence Department officials in Washington said after the interview that it remained United States policy not to meet New Zealand Minis-

ters as long as New Zealand maintained its ban on nuclearcapable’ warships.

■ Mr Cheney refused to speculate on a possible change of attitude in New Zealand to United States warships should that country have a change of Government. He said he did not like to talk about the possibility of changes of Government with respect to an ally.

“New Zealand will obviously have to pursue its own policies,” he said. “I think we have been disappointed clearly that it no longer is an active part of what we consider the A.N.Z.U.S. alliance because we felt it was an important one. It still is, certainly between the United States and Australia.