NZ's nuclear policy may come in handy for US

New Zealand's anti-nuclear credentials are ironically one of the key reasons the United States considers it useful in dealing with North Korea.

United States Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill confirmed the stance this week in a visit to the Pacific summit in Fiji.

"We know that New Zealand in particular has had an anti-nuclear bent and we certainly think we can talk to New Zealand about what we can do together in terms of strengthening non-proliferation."

He agreed there was some irony in his comment - the United States still has in place formal reprisals against New Zealand over its 1987 anti-nuclear legislation.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters was asked by China and the United States to join an informal meeting in Kuala Lumpur in July on the margins of the Asean Regional Forum to discuss North Korea, a group now known as five plus five.

That is the reason United States Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has maintained contact with Mr Peters over North Korea, which startled the world with its nuclear test on October 9.

Mr Peters attended a second meeting in New York in September on the margins of the United Nations general assembly (minus China and Russia), and there is a possibility of another on the margins of Apec in Vietnam in November.

Five plus five is named after five of the countries in the stalled six-party talks over North Korea (United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia - North Korea is the sixth) and five additional countries, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Canada.

It was held after North Korea had conducted long-range missiles tests but had not yet conducted its nuclear weapons test.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Foreign Affairs chief executive Simon Murdoch told a select committee yesterday that Trade and Disarmament Minister Phil Goff would be updated on North Korea developments on his present trip to Japan.