Goff talks nukes with embattled Rumsfeld

WASHINGTON -  It was show-time at the Pentagon yesterday when United States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld broke from strenuously defending his Iraq record to meet Phil Goff.

Six former US generals are calling for Mr Rumsfeld's head as opinion polls turn against the Bush Administration's handling of the Iraq invasion.

But Mr Rumsfeld still turned on a guard of honour for New Zealand's Defence and Trade Minister on the Pentagon steps, even though New Zealand did not join the American-led invasion.

Mr Goff, who arrived in Washington in the midst of President George W. Bush's surprise White House reshuffle, found Mr Rumsfeld fairly chirpy under the circumstances.

But this was also a business meeting and an "engaging and constructive one" at that, said the NZ minister.

Mr Goff has met a stellar line-up of powerful figures during his first visit to Washington as Trade and Defence Minister after relinquishing foreign affairs to NZ First's Winston Peters.

Mr Goff also met the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, and officers at the National Security Council.

On the agenda at yesterday's meeting were the riots in the Solomons, the long-standing nuclear ships issue and Afghanistan.

New Zealand's foreign policy-makers have made a deliberate point of underlining to Washington the extent of New Zealand's engagement in maintaining security in the increasingly unstable South Pacific.

They want to move the bilateral debate on to New Zealand's real contribution in the region and away from the nuclear policy issues which have been a sticking point in the relationship for two decades.

"I was able to background him [General Pace] on the Solomon riots and the need for stronger intervention by our military and police," said Mr Goff.

NZ's disproportionate effort in Afghanistan, where it contributes far more troops on a per capita basis than other countries, was noted, he said.

So, too, was the recent commitment to extend the term of the provincial reconstruction teams. But there was no US request this time for New Zealand to extend military support elsewhere.

Mr Goff said he also tabled the nuclear issue "because we don't pretend it doesn't exist".

"Both sides hold their opinions. But we want to move to common understanding based on our shared obligations and values."

He said New Zealand's nuclear ships ban was still cited by some in Washington as a negative factor in the relationship. Some observers believed it had prevented New Zealand from getting a place in the US free trade negotiating queue.

The minister's high-level meetings come on the eve of the inaugural Partnership Forum, a non-governmental leadership dialogue organised by the New Zealand-United States Council and its Washington counterpart, to look at the relationship between the two countries.

Mr Goff and US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill will address the gathering. Mr Goff will also give a speech at the National Defence University in Washington.