KEY POINTS:
Some United States Congress members remain angry at New Zealand over its nuclear ban and could block any bill promoting a free trade deal with the US, a Democrat congressman said today.
Congress representative for American Samoa Eni Faleomavaega said he and some colleagues felt betrayed by the 20-year-old ban on nuclear power and weapons.
Asked if the nuclear ban would hurt New Zealand's chances of getting a free trade deal through Congress, he replied: "Yes, It still hurts strong amongst the members, that is my feeling."
Mr Faleomavaega, who also chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, said he and House Committee on Foreign Affairs chair Tom Lantos were still bitter about the David Lange-led Labour government bringing in the nuclear ban.
"That issue is still very strong among members, especially among the conservative members of Congress and I think if it had not been the way it had been brought about it could have been defused," Mr Faleomavaega said.
The ban could have been designed so it did not destroy the alliance with the US and it had been sprung upon unsuspecting allies, he said.
"It is perfectly understandable if this was the wishes of the New Zealand people, but it also has consequences and I can tell you honestly we felt betrayed.
"We felt like 'my gosh we thought you were our friends', and secondly we don't want to carry nuclear weapons no more than any other country, but we were the ones doing the dirty work here, stabilising and making sure the shipping lanes are free in the region."
Prime Minister Helen Clark this week left Washington confident she had cemented better relations with President George W Bush's administration, despite the long running nuclear stand-off.
The issue was now described as a rock in the road which did not block the two countries working on other issues.
A senior administration official told NZPA the nuclear ban was not a factor in the White House deciding which countries got into the trade deal queue.
New Zealand is not even on the list for trade talks and Helen Clark said the current political situation in the US means now is not the time.
Instead her officials and business were building a constituency of support for when the time was right, she said.
If the president did one day agree to trade talks, then New Zealand would still need Congress to approve the deal.
Helen Clark spent time in Washington speaking to members of Congress to build support and said she believed New Zealand would get a sympathetic hearing when the time came.
Mr Faleomavaega has been in Congress since 1989.
He has a background in law and is a Vietnam veteran who reached the rank of captain in the army.
The executive branch of the US Government has worked hard in recent months to "insulate" the nuclear issue.
A senior administration official said that this did not mean the ban was not an issue for the US, but an acceptance New Zealand's position was a long-standing one that could be put to one side to ensure the countries worked together in areas of mutual interest.
A New Zealand free trade deal would also face strong opposition from agricultural lobbies in the US.
- NZPA
