U.S. senators to visit

Press, 6 February 1986, Page 4

U.S. senators to visit

NZPA staff correspondent Washington Three United States senators will visit New Zealand next week for talks on the A.N.Z.U.S. nuclear-ship issue. The group, all Democrats, will be led by Senator David Boren, Oklahoma. The others are Senators Carl Levin, Michigan, and David Pryor, Arkansas. Senators Boren and Levin were signatories of a letter to President Reagan and the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, in December which called for a cooling of the A.N.Z.U.S. debate and a plea for a solution to the apparent impasse dividing the two sides. The three senators will leave Washington this evening, and will visit the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand before returning on February 17. Their exact itinerary could not be released by Senate staff this week, but official sources said they expected to visit New Zealand first, arriving at the

week-end and leaving on Tuesday, February 11. On their return to the United States they will report to the Democrat caucus in the Senate. Senator Boren is a highranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee and, like Senator Pryor, is on the Senate Agricultural Committee. They are expected to look at farming in New Zealand and Australia and have talks with the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Moyle. The Senators could also have talks with the Prime Minister and members of the Opposition. A biography of Senator Boren describes him as a man with the knack “for staying close to the shifting tides of public opinion without seeming to be captive of them.” He has been an active spokesman for American farmers affected by the farm crisis.

Senator Levin, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been a consistent Pentagon critic, complaining

that under President . Reagan the Defence De- • partment has put too much emphasis on buying complicated new weapons systems, especially n nuclear ones, while ignoring maintenance and i training the military would need to fight a conventional war. Senator Pryor has con- J cerned himself with the “nuts and bolts” of Federal spending, including 1 Pentagon contract practices. He is also opposed to the manufacture and ’ use of chemical weapons.