Mr Rowling ready to talk to Mr Ordia

Press, 7 April 1979, Page 2

Mr Rowling ready to talk to Mr Ordia

PA Wellington The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) intends to tell the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa that the majority of New Zealanders should not be made to suffer through international sports boycotts because of the actions of a few persons in New Zealand.

Mr Rowling will leave tomorrow to visit the United States, Nigeria, Britain, West Germany, Luxemburg, Egypt, and Singapore.

He told a new’s conference that he hoped to see the African Sports Council’s head, Mr Abraham Ordia, in Lagos. The message lie wanted to give him was that the Africans should take an “overview” of the New Zealand scene and “not take it out of the hide of the whole country because of the actions of a few people.” Mr Rowling said he would tell the Sports Council that the Labour Party supported the Gleneagles Agreement but that New Zealand was a free country and New Zealanders were free to go where they wanted. He said he wanted to hear Mr Ordia’s views.

“I had hoped to meet him when he was in New Zealand and I was not responsible for his hasty departure

when he was grossly insulted,” Mr Rowling said.

Mr Rowling’s first stop will be Honolulu where he will meet the United States Naval Commander-in-Chief in the Pacific.

In Los Angeles he will have discussions with representatives of New Zealand firms and meet American businessmen before going on to Washington for meetings with representatives of the Government, financial and economic institutions, and the trade-union movement, including the Teamsters’ Union head, Mr George Meaney. t Mr Rowling will then fly to Lagos where he will meet members of the Government and people in the energy field.

His next stop will be London where he will see the Prime Minister (Mr Callaghan) and other Ministers. He told a news conference that he had no plan to meet the Leader of the Opposition (Mrs Thatcher).

When a reporter suggested it might be useful to hedge his bets on the British election result by seeing Mrs Thatcher, Mr Rowling replied: “Well, we will have a look at that fence when we reach it.” While he is in London, Mr Rowling will meet the Com-

monwealth Secretary-General (Mr Shridath Ramphal), address the Labour Party’s London branch, meet New Zealand producer board representatives, and address a Commonwealth and diplomatic writers’ luncheon.

In Strasbourg, Mr Rowling will have talks with the president of the European Economic Commission (Mr Roy Jenkins) and other commissioners.

During his visit to Bonn, he will see President Walter Scheel and senior officials connected with agriculture and overseas trade.

Mr Rowling will also meet Mr Oscar Vetter, head of the German equivalent of the Federation of Labour.

In Luxemburg, he will attend a meeting of the Socialist International presided over by a former West German Chancellor, Mr Willi Brandt, and attended by party leaders from West European countries.

Mr Rowling hopes to meet Government and Opposition leaders in Cairo and will stay with the Prime Minister of Singapore (Mr Lee Kuan Yew) on his way home. He will also meet members of the New Zealand Force in Singapore. Mr Rowling, who will be accompanied by Mrs Rowling, will return to New Zealand on May 6.