KEY POINTS:
United States President George Bush is looking to formally meet with Pacific Island leaders next year - possibly in New Zealand.
Prime Minister Helen Clark said she and he discussed such a summit during a 15-minute "pull-aside" meeting yesterday [Saturday] at the Asia Pacific Economic (Apec) forum in
Hanoi.
If it goes ahead, the Pacific meeting would take place around the next Apec summit in Sydney next September.
"It could be around that time because he will be down coming to the region - and I have reiterated that as President of the United States he is very welcome to come to New Zealand in association with that if he can fit it in."
Asked if a Pacific summit might be held in New Zealand, she said it was something that could be looked at.
"Obviously if he is in Australia, it is a possibility of coming to New Zealand, and it is a possibility around all of that that you might get the Pacific countries together.
"But it is a thought at this point and I wouldn't overplay it."
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Foreign Minister Winston Peters this week invited US Secretary of State to visit New Zealand next year.
A Pacific summit with President Bush, especially if it were held in New Zealand, would cement a marked turnaround in relations between New Zealand and the United States in the last couple of years.
The United States' interest in the Pacific has been heightened by the emerging interest being taken by China.
She said that in their discussion Mr Bush was well briefed on what was happening in the South Pacific and on New Zealand's role "and the fact that we are spread across Timor, the Solomons, now Tonga, working on the Fiji issues, working very hard on the stability issues in the South Pacific."
"He is interested in having a meeting with Pacific Island leaders."
Helen Clark also said President Bush remained "highly appreciative of what we have been doing in Afghanistan over a long period of time."
China's Premier Wen Jiaboa held a summit in Fiji in April of Pacific countries that recognise it. Japan hosts one every two years and French President Jacques Chirac hosted his second Pacific summit in June.
"So I felt a meeting with President Bush would be very well received."
Mr Bush met with some Pacific leaders in his first term in Hawaii.
The matter of another summit was discussed with Assistant Secretary of State with Pacific responsibilities Christopher Hill at the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji last month.
It is the second forum that the highly ranked official, who also has a special brief for North Korea, attended.
The issue of North Korea and Iran was discussed between Helen Clark and President Bush including the fact that New Zealand had been included in the "five plus five" group of countries that have met with the United States on North Korea.
"He knows we are very strong on non-proliferation issues," Helen Clark said. Obviously proliferation is very much on his mind."
She said she did not raise with him the issue of free trade agreement.
