Peters to meet Rice in Washington next week

Foreign Minister Winston Peters will visit Washington next week and meet US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The unusual delay in announcing details of an important ministerial visit led to accusations yesterday that he was "sneaking off" in a way that demeaned himself and his mission.

But today he told Radio Live he would be leaving on Monday and meeting Dr Rice for an hour on Wednesday.

National's foreign affairs spokesman Murray McCully had said Mr Peters should not be secretive about an event that should be a matter of public record.

Mr Peters said he was happy to leave "megaphone diplomacy" to Mr McCully while he got on with his job.

"Why I'm bound to tell (Mr McCully) and all of the media what's happening in the next three, four, five months in my life is beyond me," Mr Peters said.

The trip was neither a thawing in the New Zealand-United States relationship, nor usual business, he said. "It's none of those things, it just happens to be that ... we do talk to a lot of countries and a lot of nations and a lot of foreign affairs ministers."

Mr Peters would speak to Dr Rice "about our foreign policy and issues that concern our countries".

As to whether the nuclear issue would be raised, Mr Peters said: "I don't know, probably not.

"The issues are pretty important what we're dealing with, that might arise, I don't imagine it will."

He thought he would meet Dr Rice next Wednesday "probably about an hour, maybe longer, maybe less".

- NZPA