Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is not obligated to back a potential bid by Helen Clark for the top United Nations job, despite a commitment by his predecessor, Prime Minister John Key says.
Mr Key spoke to his Australian counterpart on the weekend after it was revealed that former Prime Minister Tony Abbott agreed to support Ms Clark in the event that she became a candidate for the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Mr Turnbull's cabinet was now planning to overturn this commitment, the Australian newspaper reported.
Mr Key today confirmed that he sought Mr Abbott's support when it became apparent that Ms Clark might run as a candidate."[Mr Abbott] said at the time 'Look if she puts her name forward I would have thought Australia would support that'," he said.
The two leaders formalised the agreement in a letter.