Clark applies brakes on US talks

Prime Minister Helen Clark yesterday dampened suggestions that New Zealand was willing to take part in a comprehensive review of its relationship with the United States.

The possibility of improving relations with Washington has been talked up by the new Foreign Minister, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, in response to a farewell speech by former ambassador Charles Swindells citing US concerns about a lack of trust in the relationship.

But Helen Clark yesterday made it clear she was not as enthusiastic as Mr Peters in improving the relationship or embracing the "comprehensive dialogue" sought by the Americans.

She dismissed a suggestion last week by incoming ambassador Bill McCormick that in terms of the review, the ball was now in New Zealand's court.

"We responded [to Mr Swindells]. We are always happy to have a dialogue, so the ball's in everybody's court, I guess."

Helen Clark also dismissed a suggestion that what the Americans were proposing was a mutual review of the relationship. She painted it as a one-sided concern, seated in New Zealand's anti-nuclear law.

"It was never suggested that there be a joint review," she said. "What appeared to be suggested was that there might be some rethinking going on in Washington. That was the inference from Mr Swindells' statements."

It was up to the United States if it wanted to review the way it operated "vis-a-vis New Zealand".

"From our point of view, New Zealand has always turned the other cheek and said, 'Let's get on with life. There are 99.9 per cent of things we work very happily on and we'll keep doing that'.

"We're always happy to have a dialogue, but it will have to occur within the framework of the nuclear-free legislation."

Helen Clark likened the differences between New Zealand and the United States over the nuclear issue to those between New Zealand and Japan over its whaling.

"Letting that [nuclear issue] dominate would be as silly as letting the fact that we don't agree with Japan on its whaling policy dominate our relationship with Japan."

She was not one of those who took a "bleak" view of the relationship with the United States.

"The American relationship is very important to us. It's a huge trade relationship, investment relationship, tourism relationship, education and science relationship. It's actually quite a significant defence relationship in some critical theatres, like Afghanistan and the Gulf.

"I've studied this relationship for a long time, and I know it's got tremendous breadth and tremendous depth. I'm not prepared as Prime Minister to say you can't have a decent relationship because there's one or two things you can't agree on. If that was the case, we wouldn't have a decent relationship with anybody."

At a press conference last Friday, Mr McCormick lamented that New Zealand did not have as "congenial" a relationship as it used to with the United States.