US embassy cable - 05WELLINGTON585

C O N F I D E N T I A L WELLINGTON 000585 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR P, NP, SA/INS, AND EAP/ANP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/02/2015 
TAGS: KNNP, ENRG, ETTC, PARM, PREL 
SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND ON U.S.-INDIA CIVIL NUCLEAR 
COOPERATION INITIATIVE 
 
REF: SECSTATE 133163 
 
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