FRIENDS TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE

Opposition blame Clark for fate of free trade deal (SHARON LUNDY, 22.05.2003, New Zealand Herald)

The United States rejection of a free trade deal with New Zealand is devastating for New Zealand and Prime Minister Helen Clark must take responsibility, opposition parties say.

US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick yesterday dashed hopes of a free trade agreement, citing too many objections from US farmers.

"A lot of their agricultural exports are ones that are very sensitive here," Mr Zoellick told the US House of Representatives Agriculture Committee, referring specifically to lamb and dairy products.

Mr Zoellick said the US was also disappointed with recent actions by New Zealand.

"There's been some things done recently that would make (a free trade agreement) harder to carry" to the US Congress, he said.

Helen Clark had to apologise to US President George W Bush's administration last month for her comments that the US would not have invaded Iraq if Al Gore were president.

However, she has stuck to her stance that New Zealand would support war in Iraq only if it was sanctioned by the United Nations.

National leader Bill English told NZPA today the blame for the rejection of a free trade deal lay squarely with Miss Clark.

"I think the US accepted that New Zealand could differ over the Iraqi war but unlike all their other friends and allies after the war started, Helen Clark went on a campaign of foot in mouth," he said. [...]

ACT leader Richard Prebble also said Helen Clark must take responsibility.

"Those statements were contrary to the national interest, they were made for partisan political reasons and Helen Clark, in order to pander to current polling, has significantly damaged the standard of living and prospects of successive generations of New Zealanders," he told NZPA.

"I'm hard-pressed to think of a foreign policy setback more serious than this one."

Miss Clark was warned her comments would have exactly the consequences they had had, Mr Prebble said.

However, she had not heeded those warnings and New Zealand's foreign affairs and trade policies were now in tatters.

"It now appears that a...nightmare is going to occur and that is for Australia to get a free trade agreement with the US, excluding New Zealand," he said.

"The Treasury's own modelling indicates that will be a very significant setback for the New Zealand economy."

The Bush administration has begun free trade talks with Australia, a strong supporter of the US war on terror, despite objections from many farm organisations.

New Zealand had hoped to eventually be linked into the US-Australia free trade pact.

But asked if that was a possibility, Mr Zoellick said: "That's not my present expectation."

More proof was offered by the fact Mr Bush planned to visit Australia, which strongly supported his Iraq action, later this year but not New Zealand.

Bush recently hosted Australian Prime Minister John Howard at his Texas Ranch and planned to reciprocate the visit in October, when he travels to Thailand for the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation forum. No such trip was planned for New Zealand.

What's the point of carrying the big stick if you don't smack someone with it every once in awhile? New Zealand'll get their deal, but it's fun watching them squirm while the Aussies get the first class treatment. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 22, 2003 8:19 AM