World Notes New Zealand

Since he came to power last July, New Zealand's Prime Minister David Lange has resisted U.S. pressure to modify an election promise to close New Zealand's ports to all nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered ships. Such a stand would effectively ban all U.S warships from New Zealand ports, since Washington declines to indicate which of its ships carry nuclear weapons. The matter came to a head last week when Lange refused a routine U.S. request to allow an American naval vessel to call on New Zealand during naval exercises in March. The Prime Minister thus set the stage for a prolonged and potentially bitter battle with Washington over the future of the 1951 ANZUS (Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.) security pact.

Lange's snub of the U.S. came after he received a letter from Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, in which Hawke implied that New Zealand's antinuclear stand could harm the alliance. Responded Lange: "The policy is not anti-American. It is not antialliance. It is antinuclear." Washington's concern is that New Zealand's position might send a divisive message to other U.S. allies.