Asean deal tops PMs' wish list

After last week's debacle over the cancellation of John Farnham's Anzac Day concert, the New Zealand and Australian prime ministers are now singing from the same songsheet.

John Howard flew into Auckland last night for two days of talks with Helen Clark and the National Party leader Don Brash.

This afternoon Clark is to take Howard out for lunch at the Soljans Estate Winery, Kumeu, before a short hike through the Waitakere Ranges.

But then it's down to business - and top of the list is extracting a free-trade deal from Southeast Asia's Asean trading bloc, worth hundreds of millions of dollars to New Zealand.

The Herald on Sunday understands Howard regards joining Asean as an "important indication" of his trade objectives, with negotiations set to open later this month.

And Clark said through a spokesman there was "a great willingness to get it moving".

Clark and Howard hope to have a timetable for the deal to be sealed within two years: Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has described the Asean nations as a jumbo jet in need of a tail - New Zealand and Australia.

That is complicated by the aftermath of the tsunami, and Australia and New Zealand's need to provide leadership to troubled Pacific nations, including the Solomon Islands.

- Herald on Sunday