WikiLeaks: NZ on US-India civil nuclear co-op initiative

This is one of the diplomatic cables about New Zealand held by Wikileaks.

2 August, 2005 SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND ON U.S.-INDIA CIVIL NUCLEAR COOPERATION INITIATIVE

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Katherine Hadda, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

1. (C) Pol-Econ Couns delivered reftel information to Deborah Pankhurst, Deputy Director of the Disarmament Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). Pankhurst said that MFAT had already received a fair amount of information about the initiative from the New Zealand Embassy in Washington, but she appreciated the additional information. GNZ officials have not yet discussed the initiative nor raised it with Ministers.

2. (C) Pankhurst's initial, unofficial reaction was that any measure that safeguard reactors is a good thing. She predicted that if GNZ had any concern it would be the potential negative affect of the initiative on the Non-Proliferation Treaty, as New Zealand remains a strong advocate of that agreement. Pol-Econ Couns said that in principle the United States supports the NPT as well, but she hoped that GNZ would look closely at the substance of the cooperation initiative, as India has basically agreed to adhere to NPT principles. Pankhurst also asked about the implications for Israel and North Korea; Pol-Econ Couns answered her concerns as per reftel points.

Burnett

ENDS