Bashir's freedom 'not our business'

New Zealand will not be protesting about the release of Bali bombing architect Abu Baka Bashir after only 26 months in jail because to do so would be interfering in Indonesia's domestic affairs, says Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

That is in contrast with the actions of Australia, whose Prime Minister, John Howard, has written a letter of protest and will raise the matter in a summit next week.

Mr Peters told Parliament yesterday he thought the sentence had been too short and he believed most New Zealanders would agree.

But that was the sentence set under Indonesian law.

"What can we now possibly raise with Indonesia that has any merit other than an attempt to interfere with the law of Indonesia and its processes?"

Mr Peters was responding to questions on the matter from United Future leader Peter Dunne and National MP Murray McCully.

Mr McCully pointed out that Mr Howard had written a letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono protesting about the release this month of the Muslim cleric and would be discussing it with him at a summit next week in Batam.

Mr Howard will reportedly ask Indonesia to freeze Bashir's assets and restrict his movements under United Nations Resolution 1267, which requires sanctions against UN-listed terrorists, including Bashir.

Mr Peters said his predecessor, Phil Goff, had raised concerns about the way Bashir's case had been handled.

Mr Peters and Mr McCully clashed early in the day when Mr Peters made his first appearance at the foreign affairs and defence select committee since becoming Foreign Minister last October.

But he comfortably handled questions on foreign policy issues from whether New Zealand had a colonial attitude towards the Cook Islands, as alleged by a critic on a trip there by Mr Peters, to aid for the Palestinian territories.

Questioned on his visit next month to the United States, Mr Peters said he did not want to beat it up beforehand.

"I intend to go at the time that I judge it appropriate and to ensure that we, as a consequence, have a better relationship with the United States.

"It has been my observation over many years that some Foreign Ministers have done a marvellous job, to quote my former colleague Mike Moore [and] "spent their time around those parts of the world pulling on doors marked 'push'.

"That is not my intention."

Mr Peters clashed with former diplomat turned National MP John Hayes over criticisms the latter had made about the value of aid to Niue.

Mr Hayes said that since 1974 New Zealand had contributed $214 million to Niue and in that time its population had dropped from about 6000 to 1000, which he described as "ethnic cleansing".

He also criticised the Government's accounts.

Mr Peters said Niue's Government accounts were "not as tidy as we would like it". The accountant responsible had been replaced and the books were reviewed monthly.

PETERS' PRINCIPLES

On the United States

I don't want to elevate New Zealanders' hopes without having the clear capacity to get a result in that area.

On linking Pacific aid with whale votes

We have never linked our aid to chequebook diplomacy.

On the deportation of Rayed Mohammed Abdullah Ali

The stance that I've always taken is that on issues of potential terrorism, when in doubt, deport.

On Guantanamo Bay

If we are going to make those sorts of judgments about other countries' domestic affairs, you would not be dealing with any other country in the world.