PM shuns 'single' defence entity

By JOHN ARMSTRONG

The Prime Minister has denied undermining transtasman defence ties on the eve of her trip to Australia - and is instead accusing National of playing fast and loose with New Zealand's sovereign interests.

As "semantic wars" broke out in Parliament yesterday, Helen Clark faced Opposition questions after she said the transtasman defence relationship did not mean both countries were a "single strategic entity."

That statement runs counter to Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefing papers that state the defence alliance "encompasses a single strategic entity."

National MPs claim that dropping the phrase marks a fundamental change, while The Australian newspaper yesterday argued that Helen Clark had "effectively transformed, if not ended" the Australian-New Zealand alliance.

The issue is particularly delicate as Helen Clark flies to Australia today for talks with her counterpart, John Howard. But Wellington does not expect him to buy into the fuss.

Helen Clark said there had been absolutely no change in the thrust of transtasman defence relations.

The phrase "single strategic entity" had not been in common usage in defence policy papers until National's defence minister, Max Bradford, resurrected it during transtasman talks in 1998.

He had gone too far, she said. Talk of both countries having a "complete strategic identity" ran counter to New Zealand being a sovereign nation.

"If you adopt the term 'single strategic entity,' then we don't take a different view - ever. I'm not prepared to sign away the national interest like that.

"Australia is a middle-sized power. We are a small country. 'Close but not identical' would sum it up."

She said the question of a "single strategic entity" had been raised by Australia's defence minister, John Moore, during recent talks with his New Zealand equivalent, Mark Burton, because it had been a feature of his talks with Mr Bradford.

The New Zealand cabinet had briefly discussed the matter and agreed to no longer use the term.

A Defence Force paper prepared for the Prime Minister states the term "single strategic entity" first appeared during 1976 talks between Sir Robert Muldoon and then-Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser.

But in the late 1980s, both countries appeared to back away from the concept. New Zealand preferred to recognise an "identity of strategic concerns" in more recent defence policy reviews, while Australia talked of "shared strategic interests."

The Leader of the Opposition, Jenny Shipley, accused the Prime Minister of delivering a "Dear John" letter to Mr Howard and telling him that years of defence cooperation were over.