U.S. to Resist Nuclear-Free Southeast Asia

The United States will resist any move to turn Southeast Asia into a nuclear-free zone, Secretary of State George P. Shultz said today.

Shultz, winding up a day of talks with Filipino officials including President Corazon Aquino, was scheduled to leave early Wednesday for Singapore and the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) where the subject of a nuclear-free zone is expected to come up.

At a news conference today, Shultz said the United States, as a major nuclear power with a policy based on deterrence, would oppose any attempt to declare the region of Southeast Asia as nuclear-free.

“It is basically not a good idea . . . peace in the world depends on our ability as a major nuclear power to deter aggression,” Shultz said.

He said any nuclear-free zone would erode the U.S. ability to deter aggression.

The proposal for a nuclear-free Southeast Asia has been raised at previous meetings, but U.S officials believe that there is no real push from ASEAN officials to make it a major debating point.

In the Philippines, Shultz met with a series of officials, including Aquino and defense officials.

Shultz opposed the idea, backed by some Filipino legislators he met today, to change the terms for American use of Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval base, Washington’s largest overseas installations. Some Filipino legislators want the present mutual security pact to be changed to a simple rental arrangement.

“I don’t think that’s a good concept,” Shultz said.