Can’t Wink at Policy Against Nuclear Vessels, New Zealand’s No. 2 Man Says

Deputy Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer of New Zealand, seeking to resolve the dispute with the United States stemming from his nation’s refusal to allow port access to nuclear-armed or -powered warships, said Friday that New Zealanders cannot “overlook or wink at infractions of that policy.”

Palmer is holding several days of meetings with Reagan Administration officials trying to repair the strains caused by the policy in the 34-year-old ANZUS defense alliance, which joins Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Palmer declined to say whether he sees any progress so far in his meetings with Secretary of State George P. Shultz and Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger.

In a speech, he emphasized New Zealand’s interest in maintaining friendly relations with Washington, but he acknowledged that “the relationship has taken a buffeting.”

Referring to other nations--notably Japan--that refuse to accept visits by warships carrying nuclear weapons, while avoiding confrontation with the United States by generally ignoring the question of a specific vessel’s armaments, Palmer said, “The way those policies operate would not satisfy New Zealand.”

The State Department has said little about Palmer’s visit beyond making clear that the dispute remains unresolved.