NEW ZEALAND RESPONDS TO SECRETARY'S MESSAGE ON

UNCLAS WELLINGTON 000513 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR EAP/ANP - TRAMSEY E.O. 12985: N/A TAGS: MNUC PARM PGOV PHSA PREL KNNP GG KPAO OIIP NZ SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND RESPONDS TO SECRETARY'S MESSAGE ON PSI SECOND ANNIVERSARY PUBLIC DIPLOMACY OUTREACH REF: STATE 75179 ¶1. (SBU) Embassy passed reftel message and talking points to New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) Disarmament Division on April 26, 2005. Dell Higgie, Director of MFAT's Security Policy Division and Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism responded in a letter that the embassy received on June 28, 2005. ¶2. (SBU) In the letter, Ambassador Higgie informs that as part of the New Zealand Government's Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) outreach activities, MFAT has posted information about PSI on its website (http://www.mfat.govt.nz/foreign/spd/psi/psi. html), outlining its purpose and the benefits of New Zealand's participation in the initiative. ¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Higgie also included with the letter a newsletter on counter-terrorism that included information on the PSI, which was prepared for senior security officials in Pacific Island countries, and which was distributed at the inaugural meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum Working Group on Counter-Terrorism that took place in Auckland in June. We are faxing a copy of the newsletter to EAP/ANP. ¶4. (SBU) Ambassador Higgie comments that "as our Pacific Forum-wide counter-terrorism exercise rolls out over the coming months, we will be looking for further opportunities to raise the profile of PSI with our regional neighbors." She has said she will keep us informed of any developments. Swindells