U.S. Seeking Port Call in New Zealand
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The government said Monday that the United States has asked permission to send a warship into a New Zealand port in March in what is seen as a test of its defense alliance with Australia and New Zealand.
A high-ranking government official confirmed that the request was made in connection with a planned joint naval exercise and said the government will not decide on a response for “several weeks.â€
The Labor government of Prime Minister David Lange has said it will stand by its campaign promise to ban from its ports nuclear-powered ships or those carrying nuclear arms. U.S. officials have said such a ban could cause serious damage to the ANZUS (Australia-New Zealand-United States) defense treaty.
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