PM Clark Says Visit to Washington is about Cooperation,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WELLINGTON 000227 SIPDIS SIPDIS, SENSITIVE STATE FOR EAP/FO-GLYN DAVIES, EAP/PD-AGRIMES, EAP/P-K BAILES, EAP/ANP-DRICCI E.O. 12985: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV NZ SUBJECT: PM Clark Says Visit to Washington is about Cooperation, not Criticism ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: During Parliamentary Question time on Wednesday, March 14, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark was bombarded with questions (from Parliamentary friends and foes) regarding her upcoming visit to Washington. Clark was asked about Climate Change, the US Human Rights record at Guantanamo Bay and whether she would raise Iraq in her meeting with the President. The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister also took the opportunity to make a couple of general, positive observations about the trip and state the PM's intention to "focus on progressing areas for cooperation." END SUMMARY. Climate Change - The President is Engaged -------------- ¶2. (U) The Prime Minister fielded multiple questions (from the Greens and from Minister Peters' Party, NZ First) about whether she would discuss Climate Change with the President. Here is our edited version of the PM's comments from the official transcript. I am perfectly happy to advise the President of what New Zealand is doing with its aspirations to be truly sustainable and carbon neutral in time. I would observe that the President contributed fully to a discussion at APEC around issues of better energy efficiency, more energy security, and investing in the sorts of technologies that would be helpful over time. As I said I have participated in a discussion around these issues in a forum with the President present and fully participating. It is my belief and it is the Government's view that we do need the major emitters on board to make a real difference, and that our contribution, although of course important to us because we want to be seen as a good international citizen-and to be one-is critical. I am mindful that even a large industrial economy such as the British one contributes only around 2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and so we really are looking over time for the United States, China, India, and other large economies with a lot of emissions to come in. Criticizing U.S. Human Rights is a "Two-edged Sword" -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) Asked by several MP's whether she would raise Human Rights/Guantanamo Bay Clark described the issue of Human Rights as a two-edged sword. She noted the recent release of the State Departments' Human Rights' Report-instead of taking issue with its findings she used it to her advantage. I have participated in discussions involving President Bush around energy, security, and climate change in APEC within the last 4 months, and I would observe that raising human rights issues is a two-edged sword. It is not on my agenda to raise issues of that kind with the President. As I have already observed, raising human rights issues is a two-edged sword. It is the practice of the US State Department to issue each year a report on human rights practices in other countries. The one for New Zealand, released just recently, drew attention to the level of violence against women. It drew attention to the poor socio-economic status of indigenous people, to attacks on Jewish cemeteries in our country, and to other issues. I observe that once one opens up issues, then the comeback could be interesting. I am sure that if New Zealand had had detainees at Guantanamo Bay, as other friendly countries such as Australia or the United Kingdom have had, the issue of Guantanamo Bay would be on my agenda. It is not because we have not. Iraq not on the Agenda -------------- ¶4. (U) In answer to questions on Iraq and what she would say to the President on Iraq the Prime Minister repeatedly said it was not on her agenda. In response to the first question of the day the Prime Minister said, "I have made it clear that Iraq is not on my agenda to raise." She stuck to her line when the subject was raised by the National party: "I refer the member to the first answer that I gave when I said that Iraq was not on my agenda to raise." Focus on Common-sense Cooperation -------------- ¶5. (U) On a more general note the Prime Minister Clark stressed that, "The time for such meetings is always limited, and my intention is to focus on progressing areas for cooperation". Minister Peters' made a comment (disguised as a question) that "when one spends all one's time criticising one's host, the opportunity for the host to have any regard for one's views is severely limited" WELLINGTON 00000227 002 OF 002 and the Prime Minister described this as a "highly common-sense observation." ¶6. (SBU) Comment. One noteworthy aspect of today's question time was the silence of the major opposition National Party. Separately, they told DCM and POL/ECON Counsellor that they considered it inappropriate to trivialize the PM's upcoming trip by politicizing it. Today's exchanges reminded us of a number of incidents in recent months, which we have reported, in which PM Clark has made it clear that she will not engage in verbal sparring with the U.S. Even when offered almost every hot-button issue, she has steadfastly insisted that she will focus on cooperation.