Brash makes peace with MFAT over gone by lunchtime row

National Leader Don Brash has made his peace with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after its part in the "gone by lunchtime" row.

Dr Brash said he would ban diplomats attending his meetings with politicians from other countries after one ministry official recorded Dr Brash as saying his party would scrap the ban on nuclear-powered ships "by lunchtime".

The Government then released the note to make a case that Dr Brash was saying one thing to New Zealanders and another to the United States politicians that he allegedly made the comments to.

Dr Brash said he could not recall making the comments.

The ministry's chief executive Simon Murdoch and Dr Brash have now agreed on new procedures for officials to attend meetings and report details.

Neither party wanted to comment on the details of the agreement.

NZPA understands that in the future Dr Brash will allow officials to attend notable meetings on a case by case basis.

If officials do attend they will clearly identify themselves and their role to all the people at the meeting.

Dr Brash was happy to have diplomats now again attend and report his meetings with foreign politicians, a spokesman said today.

Foreign Minister Phil Goff's spokesman declined to comment saying it was a matter between the ministry and Dr Brash.

A ministry official did not want to comment on whether the row with Dr Brash or the release of the notes had been damaging to the ministry or New Zealand's reputation.

Earlier this year, Foreign Minister Phil Goff released part of the official's report on a meeting with United States senators in January.

The report recorded Dr Brash as saying the nuclear ships ban would be gone "by lunchtime" under a National government.

Dr Brash's spokesman said the report of a "junior official" was used for "political purposes" and this was then challenged by others at the meeting, including two senators.

National has since pledged to retain the ban unless a referendum supported scrapping it.

Mr Goff made the unusual move of releasing part of the notes after the two US senators said they could not recall Dr Brash having made the remark.

"Dr Brash made the throw-away comment: 'if the National Party was in government today, we would get rid of the nuclear propulsion section today -- by lunchtime, even", the notes said.

The official had noted that the remark was made after National MP Lockwood Smith explained National's study on the anti-nuclear legislation to the delegation.

Such notes by officials are considered classified and are kept secret. It is rare for them to be used for political purposes.

- NZPA