KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY- Prime Minister Helen Clark may have a diplomatic battle on her hands to try to get less emphasis placed on nuclear power at the Apec summit in Sydney over the weekend.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said last night his colleagues had drafted a joint statement on climate change policy for leaders to sign which was "okay" but there were still questions over the vexed issue of nuclear power.
Mr Peters hinted that foreign ministers had not agreed on how much emphasis should be placed on nuclear power and had left it to leaders to thrash it out.
"There are questions that will be decided on one particular issue by the leaders meeting itself that will be the issue of what level of reference is made to nuclear energy," Mr Peters said.
The paper was "fine" for New Zealand as it stood, the question was whether additions were made to it later to change the emphasis.
Officials later confirmed that at present there was a mild reference to nuclear power, which acknowledged the doubts of nuclear sceptics such as New Zealand.
The wording had been left open for a push at the weekend summit to give a stronger emphasis on nuclear power as one of the best ways to reduce pollution.
Ministerial meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (Apec) have been dominated by climate change policy, but New Zealand has found itself on a different side of the table from the US and Australia.
New Zealand wants countries to set specific targets to reduce greenhouse gases, while Australian Prime Minister John Howard is trying to get all 21 Apec members to commit to more general goals as leaders get ready to debate the issue over the weekend.
Mr Howard is also a strong supporter of nuclear power to reduce pollution.
US President George Bush also believes that nuclear power is the key to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
"If you truly care about greenhouse gases then you'll support nuclear power," he said.
"If you believe that greenhouse gases are a problem ... if you take the issue seriously like I do and John (Howard) does then you should be supportive of nuclear power."
Mr Peters said there were 21 nations at Apec and finding common ground was a challenge.
New Zealand's stance against nuclear power was well known, but other nations had other views, he said
There were a number of others issues still to be resolved, but nuclear power was the "one everyone seems to be focusing on".
Mr Peters said New Zealand might be one voice, but it was not isolated and nothing that happened at Apec would change New Zealand's no-nukes policy
Trade and Disarmament Minister Phil Goff said while nuclear power would reduce emissions it would also "cause other concerns", among them waste disposal, safety issues and the creation of terrorist targets.
"These are concerns that should be addressed," Mr Goff said.
- NZPA
