Government wants diplomat out of job

The Government will tell the World Trade Organisation it has no confidence in former trade ambassador Tim Groser and does not want him to keep his job as chairman of the agriculture negotiations committee after he quit his diplomat's post to seek election as a National Party MP.

"In the end it's up to the WTO who it appoints to certain positions," Prime Minister Helen Clark told a post-Cabinet press conference.

"But whether the WTO would want to go down the track of employing someone who can't enjoy the confidence of a member state and has resigned as ambassador is something the WTO would need to consider."

National leader Don Brash accused her of putting petty party politics ahead of the nationalinterest.

Mr Groser shocked the Government on Friday when he told Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton he intended to quit his high-powered job in Geneva to stand in a winnable list position for National.

There was no question that he would quit as NZ's ambassador.

But he and National hoped he would be able to continue chairing the hugely important agriculture committee until the next ministerial meeting, to be held in December in Hong Kong. Citing the largely bipartisan stance on trade between National and Labour, they believed it was a plausible proposition.

It would be highly unorthodox, but it is not unprecedented for a non-ambassador to chair such a committee if the WTO agrees.

But Helen Clark's comments suggest that the Government would not only oppose Mr Groser continuing to chair the committee, it might block any such move. And it has the power to do so, since the WTO works by consensus and objection by any country can block an appointment.

Helen Clark was more temperate yesterday than Mr Sutton, who accused Mr Groser of betrayal and of not putting his country first.

She said he was not New Zealand's first choice as chairman. "Life will go on. Nobody is indispensable."

She said Mr Groser got the chairman's job because he was a Geneva-based trade ambassador. "He will no longer be a Geneva-based trade ambassador and that is something that the WTO needs to reflect on.

"I don't think the WTO needs it spelled out in words of one syllable that someone who has been a professional public servant has now left that position and is now running as an Opposition candidate for the New Zealand Parliament."

Mr Groser last night headed back to Geneva, where he is expected to continue preparing a report for a crucial officials' meeting in July.

Questioned about the Government's stand, Helen Clark said someone who was close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade wasn't involved only with trade policy but all sorts of other things.

"So one assumes that Mr Groser, having now declared, would be quite happy to claim support for the invasion of Iraq and a whole range of other things where the National Party has not agreed with the present Government."

Dr Brash said last night it was "insane" to throw aside the bipartisan nature of NZ trade policy.

"This is the most extraordinary panic attack by Helen Clark, which would have been against the advice of key officials."

Trade rules

* The Geneva-based World Trade Organisation sets rules for trading between nations.
* The WTO works by consensus and an objection from any country could block an appointment to a committee.