Govt silent over weapons plea

Press, 20 November 1989, Page 17

Govt silent over weapons plea

By

NIGEL MALTHUS

The Government has remained silent over an appeal for it to spearhead a campaign at the United Nations for nuclear weapons to be .declared illegal. The campaign was originated by a retired Christchurch magistrate, Mr Harold Evans, but has since been taken, up by several prominent international jurists, and endorsed by the newly formed International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms. They want the United Nations to ask the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on the legality of nuclear weapons. The move would first require a member State of the United Nations to propose a resolution to the General Assembly.

The Government has previously refused to do so, Mr David Lange having said, on his last day as Prime Minister, August 8, that it had decided not to proceed “in the present circumstances.”

Mr Evans says the latest appeal, to Mr Palmer, has received only a brief acknowledgement, while a follow-up letter to Mr Lange has received no reply. Mr Evans’s approach to Mr Palmer was made dur-

ing the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Kuala Lumpur late last month.

His letter urged the Prime Minister to use the meeting to announce that New Zealand would take the matter to the United Nations.

Mr Evans had hoped that the Government would consider that cumstances had changed, because of the resolution passed at the inaugural conference of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms in September. Their resolution, known as The Hague Declaration, called on all govern-, ments urgently to consider taking the matter to the United Nations.

The Human Rights Committee of the Malaysian Bar Council and the Malaysian Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War also made a joint petition to all heads of the Commonwealth, during Chogm, drawing their attention to the declaration. The issue was not put on to the official agenda of the Kuala Lumpur meeting. Mr Evans saw the appeal as an important step, however, because the Commonwealth represented about onethird of the total votes of the General Assembly.