US ship visit set to end standoff with New Zealand over nuclear policy
The US Navy plans to send a ship to New Zealand in November, Prime Minister John Key said, formally ending a standoff over the Pacific nation’s anti-nuclear policy that dates back more than 30 years.
If the ship meets New Zealand’s legal requirements it will attend the Royal New Zealand Navy’s 75th anniversary, Key said, a day after US Vice President Joe Biden assured neighbour Australia there would be no retreat from Washington’s pivot to the Asia-Pacific region regardless of who wins November’s presidential election.
“Vice President Joe Biden confirmed in our discussions today that the US has accepted the invitation and intends to have a ship represent the US Navy at this event,” Key said during Biden’s one-day visit to New Zealand.
Biden said it was “another expression of our close and cooperative relationship”.
Under New Zealand law the prime minister can only grant approval if he is satisfied “that the warships will not be carrying any nuclear explosive device upon their entry into the internal waters of New Zealand”.
Biden did not offer any detail about which ship would be attending.
It will be the first time a US warship has entered a New Zealand port since the nuclear-powered frigate USS Texas in 1983.
After that, the Labour government of the time announced its decision to ban ships that were either nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed.
The United States would not confirm or deny whether its ships had nuclear capacity leading to a stalemate between the two nations.
The United States and Australia viewed the move as a breach of the three-way Anzus treaty, which dates back to 1951. In 1986 it suspended treaty obligations to New Zealand.
Today, such information about US Navy vessels is freely available, and the US is more concerned with growing its presence in the Pacific as China extends its influence in the region, said Paul Buchanan, a security analyst at 36th Parallel Assessments.
“It’s the United States that’s relented on the issue and that’s a small triumph for New Zealand, but there are much bigger issues of trade and security,” Buchanan said.
The US wants to cement its position in the South Pacific and “it would be absolutely ridiculous for it to continue to cut its nose to spite its face.”
Despite the rift, the nations have remained close allies. New Zealand supported the US-led war on terror in Afghanistan and has sent soldiers to help train Iraq’s armed forces.
Key said that the ship must meet the legal requirements.
“There is a long-standing process for considering ship visits under our nuclear-free legislation,” Key said. “I will receive advice in due course to assist me in making a decision.”
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
