Military-style gear wins export tick

A bid to export military-style equipment to Israel's Ministry of Defence was rejected during the diplomatic row over the arrest here of the suspected Mossad spies, yet NZ officials have cleared 30 other contracts.

Foreign Minister Phil Goff has confirmed that the Israeli contract is the only one Auckland-based Oscmar International has had rejected in just over two years.

However, the Government will not say to which countries Oscmar has exported its software and hardware for the laser detection harness, citing commercial sensitivity.

The harnesses are used for military training, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the Israeli application because it said the equipment could contribute to regional conflict.

Customs officials are still investigating whether Oscmar exported the intellectual property to make the harnesses, as claimed in leaked documents, and whether that broke NZ laws controlling the movement of military goods and technology.

Green MP Keith Locke said last night that Mr Goff had confirmed that Oscmar had made 31 applications to export the laser equipment since January 2003. "All applications were approved, except for one to Israel, for which the end user was the Israeli Ministry of Defence," Mr Goff said in answer to a written parliamentary question.

He said all other information about the contracts was commercially sensitive.

Mr Locke said he did not want to know how much individual contracts were worth.

However, New Zealanders should be able to find out where the country was sending military goods or training gear.

The laser equipment, which can be attached to a harness worn by a soldier, was to be manufactured here, sent to the United States and then to Israel's Ministry of Defence.

Oscmar's application for that export licence coincided with the arrest of the two suspected Mossad agents caught trying to obtain a false NZ passport.

Relations have been chilly between New Zealand and Israel since, and an apology is being negotiated through diplomatic channels.

Oscmar's international owner, the Cubic Corporation in the United States, has previously said it is confident Oscmar has complied with New Zealand law.