9 March 2009 Media Statement

McCully’s wrong priorities help put off US deal

The delay in trade talks with the US is partly a result of the Foreign Affairs minister taking his eye off the ball, Progressive Wigram MP Jim Anderton says.

He says the government has been slow to respond to news that talks on a trans-Pacific trade deal have been put on hold.

“The US trade deal might still have been frozen even if Mr McCully had been paying more attention, but his slow response can’t have helped. And had he been more active the government might still be able to generate more momentum.

“The government didn’t notice because instead of trying to improve New Zealand’s trade relations, Murray McCully has been focused on undermining our overseas aid programme.

“Since he became foreign minister, Murray McCully has never mentioned our trade with America. But he has repeatedly talked about closing our aid programme. He has his priorities wrong.

“Closing NZAid and folding it into Foreign Affairs would mean senior Foreign Affairs officials were distracted by aid instead of looking at critical trade relationships. That confused focus is one of the problems that led to NZAid being set up in the first place.

“Instead of abolishing NZAid, Mr McCully should instead be looking at shaking up the agency which has lost New Zealand its trade deal with the US. Enlarging an agency that has had such a big setback doesn’t make any sense.

“New Zealand has a strong diplomatic presence and many friends in Washington. If National had been focused on them, instead of on dismantling our aid agency, then we might have been better placed to achieve the trade agreement the last government began.”

ENDS

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