Auckland Welcomes Rainbow Warrior and MV Greenpeace

[the.greenbase@green2.greenpeace.org]

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Original-TO:      World Press (Green2:Green2:Gnl:INET)
Original-Cc:      The Greenbase (Green2:Green2:Gnl:Main)
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                   GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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>>  AUCKLAND WELCOMES RAINBOW WARRIOR AND MV GREENPEACE
 
AUCKLAND, 5 April 1996 (GP) Live music, a waterborne escort of
yachts, a Maori powhiri (welcome) and a crowd of well-wishers
will greet the Rainbow Warrior and MV Greenpeace as they dock
in Auckland this morning.
 
Greenpeace's Stephanie Mills said the welcome was an
opportunity to celebrate the ships' role in achieving a
nuclear free South Pacific.
 
"Greenpeace is proud that the Rainbow Warrior and the MV
Greenpeace were instrumental in shifting public opinion
internationally to condemn France's nuclear tests last year,"
she said.  "Greenpeace, together with New Zealanders in the
Peace Flotilla and at home, created the enormous pressure on
France, Britain and the US that forced them to agree a zero
yield nuclear test ban and to sign the South Pacific Nuclear
Free Zone Treaty."
 
She said the final hurdle was to stop China's testing
programme and to ensure it dropped its demand to exclude so-
called
"peaceful nuclear explosions" from the test ban treaty.
 
Greenpeace is launching a petition today, addressed to the
Chinese authorities, to express public opposition globally to
further nuclear testing by China.
 
"Chinese Premier Li Peng must listen to the international
community. Continued testing is unacceptable and is
jeopardising agreement of the treaty by the international
community's June deadline," she said.
 
A live band, the Paua Fritters, and Greenpeace's kaumatua
Pakihana Hawke will help welcome the ships into Prince's
wharf. Ian Revell MP is attending the welcome on behalf of the
Government.
 
Survey and maintenance work on the two vessels will be
conducted later today and over the next two weeks.  There will
be two public open days on Easter Saturday and Easter Monday
from 1pm-4pm.
 
ENDS
 
Further information:  Stephanie Mills (025) 790 817 or Glyn
Walters (025) 931 363.
Photographs and video footage will be available. Contact Glyn
Walters (025) 931 363 for details.

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