Wellington: New Zealand Will not lift a decades-long ban on nuclear-powered ships entering its waters in the wake of the major ally AustraliaPM’s decision to develop nuclear submarine fleet Jacinda Ardern said Thursday.
Ardern said that his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison had briefed them about Canberra’s plans to develop nuclear-powered submarines with the help of the United States and Britain.
She described the deal as “mainly around technology and defense hardware”, downplaying the implications of the so-called “Five Eyes” partnership of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
“This arrangement does not in any way alter our security and intelligence relations with these three countries as well as Canada,” the New Zealand leader said in a statement.
But it also said New Zealand would ban nuclear-powered ships from 1985, meaning Wellington would not allow the prized naval assets being developed by Australia in its waters.
“New Zealand’s position with respect to the prohibition of nuclear powered ships in our waters remains unchanged,” Ardern said.
The embargo was imposed in the wake of the French nuclear test in the Pacific and the US Navy banned its warships from entering New Zealand ports for more than 30 years.
The destroyer USS Sampson visited in late 2016, but only after being granted a special waiver by then-Prime Minister John Key, said he was “100 percent confident” that the vessel was not carrying nuclear power or nuclear weapons.
Official US policy is to neither confirm nor deny whether its ships are nuclear-capable.
Ardern said that his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison had briefed them about Canberra’s plans to develop nuclear-powered submarines with the help of the United States and Britain.
She described the deal as “mainly around technology and defense hardware”, downplaying the implications of the so-called “Five Eyes” partnership of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
“This arrangement does not in any way alter our security and intelligence relations with these three countries as well as Canada,” the New Zealand leader said in a statement.
But it also said New Zealand would ban nuclear-powered ships from 1985, meaning Wellington would not allow the prized naval assets being developed by Australia in its waters.
“New Zealand’s position with respect to the prohibition of nuclear powered ships in our waters remains unchanged,” Ardern said.
The embargo was imposed in the wake of the French nuclear test in the Pacific and the US Navy banned its warships from entering New Zealand ports for more than 30 years.
The destroyer USS Sampson visited in late 2016, but only after being granted a special waiver by then-Prime Minister John Key, said he was “100 percent confident” that the vessel was not carrying nuclear power or nuclear weapons.
Official US policy is to neither confirm nor deny whether its ships are nuclear-capable.
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