Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Peters' nuclear "sell-out" claim inaccurate

Rt Hon Sir William Birch
Minister of Finance

23 August 1999
For Immediate Release

Peters' nuclear "sell-out" claim inaccurate

Winston Peters’ claim last week that the Government is giving North Korea $4 million to build nuclear reactors is wildly inaccurate in every respect, Finance Minister Sir William Birch said today.

“The facts are that New Zealand is part of a group of countries contributing help North Korea buy oil to generate electricity. Our share of the programme is about $0.5 million a year,” Sir William said.

“Formerly, North Korea used to generate its electricity from nuclear reactors which also produced a small amount of material capable of being used in nuclear weapons. That was seen internationally as undesirable.

“North Korea has agreed to stop using the old nuclear reactors. A small group of countriesnot including New Zealandis building new electricity generating reactors for North Korea which are not capable of producing materials that could be used in nuclear weapons.

“While those new reactors are being built, North Korea is using oil to generate its electricity requirement. A wider group of countrieswith New Zealand among themis contributing to the purchase of the oil required for that purpose.

“The grant is being provided by New Zealand under our official development assistance programme. Mr Peters paints this as a ‘nuclear sell-out’ and a ‘national disgrace’. His own allegations are the disgrace.

“This is just another example of the usual Peters beat-up stuff. It is past all the normal bounds of irresponsibility,” Sir William said.

Ends

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.