Peters meets Rice over US ties

PUSAN - Foreign Minister Winston Peters made a pitch for closer bilateral relations with the United States in a brief meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at Apec yesterday.

Mr Peters was not available last night to expand on his opportunistic meeting which took place just after a formal photograph was taken of the foreign and trade ministers at their retreat session in South Korea.

His first big outing as foreign minister had earlier come a public cropper when he was made to look a fool after his predecessor Phil Goff revealed the Australian Government had issued a "please explain" over his role.

Mr Peters' snappy performance at a later interview with New Zealand journalists - which he walked out of - and Mr Goff's open sledging, stopped the new foreign minister from publicly chalking-up his first minor diplomatic success: a commitment from Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer to put in a good word for New Zealand at joint US-Australian ministerial talks in Sydney over the next two days.

For a politician who just this week had told a Hong Kong newspaper, "I'm there to win the world over to my country's cause ... and want to portray my country in the best way I possibly can" this first Apec meeting as foreign minister was not an unmitigated success.

Mr Goff set the ball rolling by revealing that Mr Downer was very keen to know what the new arrangement of having a foreign minister outside the Cabinet meant. He threw further fat on the fire with comments suggesting Mr Peters did not want to jeopardise his third go as a minister.

When Mr Peters finally agreed to speak to journalists he confirmed he had asked Mr Downer to help out on the US relationship.

"All I said to him was that obviously in our discussion with the US we would want Australia to be putting in a good word for New Zealand. It's early days," Mr Peters said.

He also confirmed that he had left Mr Downer with an "absolute assurance" over the new government arrangements.

But he took umbrage at further questions on the issue and stormed out with a "see you later".

Mr Downer said later that there was a limited amount that Australia could do. But he would raise the issue with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of State Bob Zoellick in Sydney at the annual Ausmin meeting.

"I'll definitely be putting in a good word for New Zealand during the course of this week with the Americans."

The Australian minister was clearly caught out when told by journalists that Mr Goff had revealed his request.

"Phil Goff and I are old friends so we say anything we like to each other I guess but I'm a bit surprised to hear he's told you that. But in any case I did nevertheless ask Winston Peters about it. Not just seeking clarification but asking how it all would work."

Mr Downer, who has been reading transcripts of Mr Peters' interviews, conceded that a change in the anti-nuclear stance (which would be optimal if New Zealand wanted to be a US ally) was not going to happen.

He said Mr Peters would be his main New Zealand point of contact.

Mr Goff said he had explained to Mr Downer that "policy from Winston will be not policies spun off the top of anybody's head but the policy of the Labour-led Government".

He said having Mr Peters in the Cabinet would be like the difference between having your mother-in law living in your house or next door - "it's much easier sometimes when she's next door as you've each got your own space". And said he would be keeping a "close eye on my former portfolio".