Key finally gets White House invite from Obama

President Barack Obama. Photo / AP

Prime Minister John Key has received the invitation he has sorely wanted - from United States President Barack Obama to the White House.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conveyed the invitation yesterday to Foreign Minister Murray McCully while he was in Washington for talks.

Dates have not been finalised but it is expected to be before September when the 40th Pacific Islands Forum is held and the Rugby World Cup begins.

Mr Key was in Washington in April last year for the Nuclear Security Summit hosted by Mr Obama, but even before then he pressed his case to the Americans for a separate bilateral invitation to the White House.

A diplomatic cable from the US Embassy in February last year to Washington showed he wanted an invitation in June last year.

In a February 2010 meeting with the US Ambassador, the cable said, Mr Key recounted how he believed he had received a firm invitation from President Obama at the Apec in Singapore.

"Key said the exchanges resulted in him briefing the press in a certain way about the 'invitation' which he said he would not have done if he had thought the offer were actually more casual and indefinite.

"Expectations in NZ were set, Key said, and the matter potentially could turn into a political embarrassment for him. Key noted that his June schedule was 'still empty'."

Top of the agenda will be talks on the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement, set to be largely finalised by the time Mr Obama hosts Apec in Honolulu in November.

That issue was discussed yesterday by Mr McCully and Mrs Clinton, including the fact that Japan has postponed its decision on whether to formally join the eight-party talks. It had been set to make its decision by June but since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, it will review its policy priorities.

Mr McCully also discussed his recent visit to Afghanistan and the transition beginning in July of responsibility for security in Bamiyan to local rule, from New Zealand's provincial reconstruction team.

Mrs Clinton said NZ "has done an exemplary job" in Bamiyan and that during the transition "we're going to look to NZ to give us a lot of the insights as to how that is proceeding".

Mr McCully thanked the US for sending a search and rescue team after the Christchurch earthquake and for the fundraising efforts by the American Friends of Christchurch group, including by the Assistant Secretary of State for Asia Pacific, Kurt Campbell.

Mr Key yesterday thanked three of the world's biggest film companies for their donations to the earthquake appeal. Fox and James Cameron's Lightstorm have given $1.26 million, and Warner Bros $633,557.