Thatcher Hits New Zealand’s U.S. Ship Ban

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on Thursday sharply criticized New Zealand’s refusal to permit a port call by a U.S. destroyer because the United States would not say whether it was carrying nuclear weapons. She vowed that she would not disclose whether British warships had similar armaments.

It was the first time during her three-day U.S. visit that she had commented on the decision by the government of Prime Minister David Lange, which has deeply divided the ANZUS alliance--Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

“I was as disappointed as you” at the position taken by Lange, she said at a British Embassy news conference. “He knows my view: that all our ships are seconded (committed) to NATO, and I have no intention of revealing whether nuclear weaponry is part of their armory.”

Could Mean Total Ban

New Zealand has said it will not allow nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered ships to visit its ports. And the Pentagon, as a matter of policy, will not confirm whether nuclear weapons are aboard its vessels. As a result, New Zealand’s action may have the effect of banning all U.S. Navy ships from its ports.

Britain and other members of the Commonwealth share defense ties as well as political ones, and Thatcher warned that the Commonwealth allies should not ask questions involving British ships’ nuclear capabilities.

“And, if they ask, I won’t say,” she said. But, she added, “I should be very disappointed if our naval ships cannot visit New Zealand.”