VZCZCXRO4584
RR RUEHNZ
DE RUEHWL #0227/01 0730539
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140539Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4033
INFO RUEHNZ/AMCONSUL AUCKLAND 1244

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.