Posting to International Wire of Scoop
Press Release: Wikileaks
Date: Monday, 20 December 2010
Time: 12:39 pm NZT
Link:
www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1012/S00575.htmWikiLeaks cable: EAP/ANP director Krawitz's February meetings
in New Zealand
February 28, 2006 EAP/ANP director Krawitz's February meetings
in New Zealand
date:2006-02-28T04:06:00 source:Embassy Wellington origin:06WELLINGTON157
destination:VZCZCXYZ0000 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHWL
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ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 280406Z FEB 06 FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON TO RUEHC/SECSTATE
WASHDC 2451 INFO RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0037 RHEHAAA/NATIONAL
SECURITY COUNCIL WASHDC RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0040 RUEKJCS/JOINT
STAFF WASHDC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU
HI RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI classification:CONFIDENTIAL
reference: ?C O N F I D E N T I A L WELLINGTON 000157
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP/ANP - DAN RICCI; D - FRITZ DOD/OSD FOR LIZ PHU
PACOM FOR J01E... ?C O N F I D E N T I A L WELLINGTON 000157
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP/ANP - DAN RICCI; D - FRITZ DOD/OSD FOR LIZ PHU
PACOM FOR J01E/J2/J233/J5/SJFHQ NSC FOR VICTOR CHA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2016 TAGS: PREL, PGOV, NZ SUBJECT: EAP/ANP
DIRECTOR KRAWITZ'S FEBRUARY MEETINGS IN NEW ZEALAND
Classified By: POL/ECON COUNSELOR KATHERINE B. HADDA FOR REASONS
1.4 B AND D
1. (C) Summary: Discussions during ANP Director Krawitz's February
8-11 visit to New Zealand addressed PRC activities in the Pacific,
Pacific Island issues, regional stability, counter-terrorism,
Antarctica, U.S.-New Zealand relations, bilateral military ties,
and launch of a new U.S.-New Zealand Partnership Forum. Bilateral
differences over New Zealand's nuclear law, while discussed,
did not dominate the visit. Suggestions on how to improve bilateral
cooperation led to general agreement that more Washington visits
by New Zealanders from all walks of life would do much to strengthen
ties and improve relations.
2. (U) Key meetings were with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Trade (MFAT) Deputy Secretary John McKinnon, Counter-terrorism/Security
Policy Ambassador Dell Higgie, and Defence Ministry (MoD) Deputy
Secretary Chris Seed. Other meetings included MFAT's directors
for the Pacific Islands and Antarctic programs, Parliament Foreign
Affairs Select Committee Chair Dianne Yates and Parliament Member
Jill Pettis, National Party Foreign Affairs Spokesman Murray
McCully, American Chamber of Commerce CEO Mike Hearn, Wellington
Chamber of Commerce CEO Charles Finny, academics and journalists.
End Summary
Bilateral Issues ----------------
3. (C) Both sides agreed that despite differences, we can and
should maximize cooperation in areas of common interest. Encouraging
good governance in the Pacific Island States and expanding U.S.
work-study programs for New Zealand students were examples. The
New Zealanders accepted our point that, unlike the many Australian
officials, politicians, business people, academics, even students
who visit Washington and the State Department every year, relatively
few Kiwis come to town or show interest. Most people with whom
we spoke agree New Zealand would benefit from sending more visitors
to Washington. They are also optimistic that the new U.S.-New
Zealand Partnership Forum, planned for April, will be productive,
and share the view that a broad cross-section of New Zealanders
must participate for the forum to succeed. Phil Goff will lead
the New Zealand delegation, in his role as Trade Minister (he
is also defense minister). National Party leader Don Brash will
also attend as part of a New Zealand Government-sponsored trip
to the United States.
4. (C) MFAT's McKinnon called his recent Washington visit a success,
expressed hope A/S Hill would visit New Zealand in March, and
said Foreign Minister Peters may visit the United States soon.
(Peters' office later said early July might be doable.) McKinnon
said he is committed to making the U.S.-New Zealand relationship
work, despite continued differences over the nuclear issue. Turning
to trade, he said New Zealand officials know chances for getting
an FTA with the United States in the near term are slim, but
new Ambassador Roy Ferguson will continue to make the pitch,
if a bit more quietly. McKinnon wants to see a U.S.-New Zealand
Trade and Investment Framework Agreement meeting before much
more time passes. Switching gears, he advocated for good contact
and communication on peacekeeping, counterterrorism, defense,
and Asian development issues. McKinnon expressed surprise, given
our interest in East Asian Architecture issues, that U.S. officials
had not attended the Singapore Global Forum conference on Asia
and the Future. McKinnon stressed that there must be a U.S. voice
in this, saying some countries wonder whether Washington has
lost interest in the region. We assured him this is not the case.
China -----
5. (C) MoD officials expressed concern that China-Taiwan resource
and diplomatic competition contributes to political instability
in Pacific Island nations. International Policy Division Director
Paul Sinclair described Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) aid to
defense forces in the region, especially to Tonga and Fiji, adding
that the PLA outspends New Zealand by
wide margins in PNG. (Reportedly, PNG may transfer its Wellington
Defense Attache position to Beijing.) Equally troublesome are
reported PLA links to paramilitary forces in Vanuatu. Mod's Seed
said PLA activities in the Pacific Islands pose real security
problems for New Zealand. He added that New Zealand Forces have
no direct dialogue with the PLA on this issue, because the PRC
tightly controls military visits to New Zealand. These have declined
from five or six to three visits a year.
6. (C) MFAT Americas and Pacific Island Director Riddell focused
on how China's rapacious quest for natural resources undermines
good governance, sustainable development, and environmental protection
in Pacific Island states like PNG, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands.
For island states like Kiribati, politics and excessive fishing
are the issues. Riddell said China pushes to restrict Taiwan's
participation in the new Regional Fisheries Management Organization.
7. (C) McKinnon reviewed East Asian Summit (EAS) issues and how
New Zealand's, Australia's and India's presence counters Chinese
efforts to control the EAS. He promised to keep us advised about
how things go in the EAS.
Counter-terrorism -----------------
8. (C) Counter-terrorism Ambassador Higgie said New Zealand is
committed to the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) but
frustrated by confusing signals from Washington. U.S. officials
urge New Zealand to take part, even as U.S. policy requires waivers
for U.S. forces when New Zealand forces are present. New Zealand
would host a PSI exercise or planning meeting but fears embarrassment
should the U.S. military decline to take part. We explained U.S.
policy, including provisions for case-by-case waivers, adding
that Washington agencies may later review waiver rules for PSI
activities. We also made the point that overstating the significance
of waivers or high-level military visits when such occur does
not help New Zealand's case. Higgie then praised U.S.-New Zealand
cooperation on the Container Security Initiative and on counter-terrorism
capacity building in the Pacific. She said New Zealand screens
Polynesian exports to the U.S. that transit Auckland (much does)
and talked of possibly setting up in American Samoa a regional
training center for Pacific Island customs officials. She stressed
U.S. involvement is important. The President's appearance at
the 2003 meeting of Pacific Island Leaders secured counter-terrorism
buy-in in the region. So will the USD 1.5 million Washington
gave the Pacific Island Forum to set up an anti-money laundering
training center in Suva. If successful, this could be a pilot
for similar U.S. assistance for customs training.
Pacific Islands ---------------
9. (C) MFAT officers called A/S Hill's planned March visit to
New Zealand and his possible participation in a June event with
Pacific Island States in Washington good ways to boost U.S.-New
Zealand Pacific region cooperation. The June event could set
the stage for the Pacific Island Leaders Conference, on hold
until 2007. Promoting democratization in Tonga and rule of law
in Fiji surfaced as other areas for cooperation. Pacific Affairs
Director Riddell noted that Foreign Minister Winston Peters (winding
up a successful visit to Fiji at the time) has a special interest
in the region and close ties to many Pacific island leaders.
10. (C) Assessing other regional trouble spots, Riddell said
the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI)
will have to remain for some time, although it is evolving from
a law enforcement/pacification process to a capacity building/nation
building process. Still, given all left to do, it is unclear
when there will have been enough progress to begin holding senior
officials accountable for their actions. Upcoming elections will
be the first held in peaceful circumstances in some time. Riddell
called PNG "deeply dysfunctional." She thinks Australia's institution-building
initiative is failing. Ironically, the fact that PNG institutions
are limping along rather than
collapsing makes things more difficult -- it's harder to repair
than rebuild. AIDS is also approaching crisis proportions in
PNG. One bright spot, Bougainville, which is finally coming out
of its decades-long conflict, is promising if fragile. Recent
elections went well, but financial fraud is on the rise.
Antarctica ----------
11. (C) January 2007 kicks off Antarctic events related to the
International Polar Year. The upgrade of New Zealand's C-130
fleet has decreased logistical support for the U.S. Antarctic
program temporarily. Support will return to 12 flights a season
in a few years. In late 2007, New Zealand will test a 757 refitted
to carry passengers to the ice. This could free up cargo space
in USAF C-17s. New Zealand test flew a P-3 Orion to the ice,
opening up possibilities for the plane's use as a back-up for
medical evacuation flights. Other plans for the P-3 include exploring
how it might be used to assist scientific research. But MFAT's
very enthusiastic Antarctic Director voiced some worries during
the meeting. He said the lack of clear arrangements for addressing
the effects of land-based tourism -- such as hotels on an Antarctic
Treaty signatory's base -- will create problems if not addressed
soon. More commercial fishing by non-treaty members, Chinese-
and Togo-flagged vessels, for example, is also a concern. New
Zealand, which is encouraging China to sign the Antarctic treaty,
clearly considers it important to voice displeasure to flag-issuing
states if "their" vessels are caught fishing illegally.
The Nuclear Issue -----------------
12. (C) The long-time U.S.-New Zealand dispute over nuclear law,
the focus of a roundtable with local journalists, did not dominate.
When the topic came up, the U.S. message was that we do not seek
to dictate policy but will not redefine our definitions of "ally"
and "friend" to suit New Zealand's domestic politics. Still,
the question of nuclear power as an element of New Zealand's
economic future led to some interesting exchanges. At an MFAT-sponsored
lunch, academic Nigel Roberts said Kiwis are unlikely to come
around to an acceptance of nuclear energy even though New Zealand
will face energy shortages in the coming years. Kiwis will have
to adapt to wind power and coal, energy generation methods that
run counter to New Zealand's green image. John McKinnon believes
young New Zealanders are even less likely than their parents
to favor nuclear power. The most direct exchange about nuclear
issues came during a meeting with the National Party's Murray
McCully, who traveled from Auckland for a lunch meeting. McCully
said his own party's recent decision to reverse position and
support retaining the ban does not mean less interest in strong
relations with the United States. National's thinking is that
by removing this contentious issue from discussion, National
would be better able to press the Government more forcefully
to strengthen bilateral ties. As McCully put it, New Zealanders
will oppose any effort to eliminate the anti-nuclear legislation,
and National would only be "shooting itself in the foot" to push
for change without public support.
Military Upgrades/Public Attitudes to Defense ---------------------------------------------
---
13. (C) MoD officials gave details on defense upgrades that will
fully motorize the army and improve naval command and control
capabilities. New Zealanders see their country as being far from
trouble spots. They continue to regard their military as an expeditionary
force. MoD expects to continue this tradition of global deployments
but anticipates having to do more in the Pacific, as transnational
crime, China, and other regional threats increase. A telling
statistic: New Zealand forces have deployed in the South Pacific
on missions unrelated to disaster relief at least six times since
1990, compared to no military deployments in the previous 30
years. MoD expects this trend to continue, if not worsen. Recognizing
the importance of law enforcement and related
missions in the region, New Zealand has backed away from the
view that its military should only focus on its core mission.
14. (C) Academic Nigel Roberts said New Zealanders believe RAMSI
plays a positive role in regional peacekeeping. They support
New Zealand's participation because RAMSI is well run, and there
have been no New Zealand casualties. MFAT Australia Director
Bede Corry agreed: New Zealanders also supported actions in Bougainville,
a larger operation, for the same reasons. New Zealand will be
able to sustain its participation in RAMSI for some time because
it involves a mix of civilian and military assistance. Academic
Jock Phillips added that Kiwis like to be seen as contributing
to global military efforts, especially in peacekeeping roles,
because, at times, this makes them feel morally superior.
McCormick
ENDS
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