VZCZCXRO6755
PP RUEHCHI RUEHFK RUEHHM RUEHKSO RUEHPB
DE RUEHWL #0852 3052020
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 012020Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3436
INFO RUEHZU/ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHDC

UNCLAS WELLINGTON 000852 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO EAP/ANP and EAP/EP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PARM PTER TSPL APECO NZ
SUBJECT: APEC 2006 - NEW ZEALAND'S PRIORITIES 
 
 
REF: SECSTATE 177258 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  New Zealand shares many of the USG's priorities 
for APEC 2006, Senior Official for APEC, Rupert Holborow told ECONOFF 
on November 1.  Holborow stated that GNZ's number one priority was a 
successful conclusion to the Doha round and said APEC reforms are 
needed to keep the organization vital and relevant.  Other GNZ 
priorities include an initiative with Canada on private sector 
development; GNZ shares the same goals as USG regarding the work of 
the Counterterrorism Task Force and believes APEC can still be 
effective in efforts to safeguard food safety and deal with avian 
influenza.  On the issue of extending the moratorium on APEC 
membership, GNZ is taking its own soundings and will proceed with 
"caution" but does not yet have a firm position.  Prime Minister 
Helen Clark along with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters 
and Minister of Defense and Trade, Phil Geoff are all expected to 
travel to Hanoi to attend APEC.  End Summary 
 
New Zealand Priorities 
---------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) ECONOFF delivered reftel points regarding USG priorities and 
unresolved initiatives for APEC 2006 to the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs Trade (MFAT) Senior Official for APEC, Rupert Holborow and 
APEC Policy Officer, Anthony Simpson on October 26 and received 
feedback on November 1.  Holborow said his government's broad 
strategic goals were in agreement the USG priorities.  He stated that 
GNZ's number one priority was to urge APEC members to support a 
successful conclusion to the Doha round and would be pushing for a 
separate statement to that effect. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Holborow said that GNZ had been a longtime advocate of a 
Free Trade Area of the Asian Pacific (FTAAP).  He saw this initiative 
as an APEC response to competing "regional architecture" which he 
categorized as less inclusive.  He said it would be beneficial to 
develop a work plan to put forward by next year's APEC meeting.  He 
acknowledged that an FTAAP is an ambitious and complicated effort 
which could encapsulate sixty percent of the world's economy. 
 
¶4. (SBU) MFAT agrees that APEC reforms are needed to keep the 
organization vital and relevant.  They would like to see the 
organization professionalize the workforce, rationalize the number of 
fora, strengthen its research capacities and increase the APEC 
budget.  Holborow said he would like to see the APEC Economic 
Committee act more as a policy entity and introduce policy reforms. 
He also noted that by comparison the budget for the Pacific Island 
Forum (PIF) was larger that APEC. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Regarding other priority areas, Holborow noted a New 
Zealand-Canadian initiative on private sector development, and said 
GNZ would be seeking support for its multiyear work plan in this 
area.  As regards the need to establish a full-fledged Technology 
Choice Pathfinder, Holborow would like to see others join and will 
draw attention to this issue at the meeting.  The effort is already 
producing results for GNZ in detecting false passports.  Regarding 
the work of the Counterterrorism Task Force, GNZ shares the same 
goals as USG.  GNZ also believes APEC can still be effective in 
efforts to safeguard food and deal with avian influenza.  On the 
issue of extending the moratorium on APEC membership, GNZ is taking 
its own soundings and will proceed with "caution" but does not have a 
firm position. 
 
GNZ Participation 
----------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Holborow stated that Prime Minister Clark, Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Peters, and Minister of Defense and Trade, Geoff 
would all travel to Hanoi.  He said that they were working on timing 
of meetings between Minister Peters and Secretary Rice, as well as 
between Minister Geoff and USTR Schwab.  He mentioned their hope for 
a "pull aside" between POTUS and PM Clark. 
 
McCormick