Reversal by Sutton on Groser 'betrayal' remark

Tim Groser

Just months after being accused of "betrayal" by the Government for joining National, former trade diplomat Tim Groser is set to accompany Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton to Hong Kong for world trade talks in December.

The newly elected list MP, National's associate foreign affairs spokesman, will go as an adviser to Mr Sutton.

This is despite Mr Sutton's withering criticism after Mr Groser revealed he was on National's party list for the general election.

Mr Groser was New Zealand's ambassador to the World Trade Organisation in Geneva and was chairman of the agricultural negotiations committee in the Doha development round of trade talks. He had to step down from his roles after announcing he was a National candidate.

Mr Sutton said at the time that he felt a "strong sense of betrayal" and accused Mr Groser of not putting his country first.

Mr Sutton's anger was not just because an opposition party had snaffled one of New Zealand's top diplomats, but because his work at the time was critical and could benefit New Zealand by billions of dollars.

Prime Minister Helen Clark also waded in, saying Mr Groser no longer enjoyed the trust and confidence of the Government.

But a spokeswoman for Mr Sutton said yesterday that the pair got on well with each other.

"They get on personally just fine. They are both professionals."

The New Zealand delegation heading to Hong Kong for the next big ministerial meeting in the Doha round is expected to number around 20.

The stakes are high. The Government estimates that the last round of WTO talks - the Uruguay round - was worth at least $9 billion to New Zealand over its 10-year implementation period.

The Hong Kong meeting will take place as developing countries launch a strong attack on rich states, whose trade demands, they say, are out of all proportion to the liberalisation they themselves are ready to offer.

Brazil, India, Indonesia, Namibia, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa and Venezuela have accused the European Union, in particular, of giving little away in agriculture while demanding big sacrifices from poorer states in industrial goods and services.

"Developing countries are being called upon to bear the burden of any new market opening," they said.

"The European Union and other developed countries are thus seeking a round for free."

The eight countries said the EU and other wealthy WTO members had to realise that reforming farm trade to give a better deal to developing countries was the key to progress.

"The removal of anti-development distortions in international agricultural trade is central," they said.

The 148-state WTO has abandoned earlier plans that the Hong Kong conference would cap four years of hard bargaining with an accord on a detailed blueprint for a free trade treaty.

Divisions, notably over agriculture, are too deep, and WTO states have set themselves the lesser, but still difficult, goal of getting enough agreement next month to ensure that a draft pact can be wrapped up early in 2006.

The New Zealand team includes officials, industry group and non-government organisation representatives, the minister, and a parliamentary representative - which is Mr Groser. Mr Groser did not return calls yesterday.

Changing times and lines

He has not put his country first.

- Jim Sutton in May, on Tim Groser

They get on personally just fine.

- Sutton's office, yesterday

- Additional reporting Reuters