PMs plan Pacific anti-terror unit

By VERNON SMALL deputy political editor

Australia and New Zealand plan to promote a South Pacific anti-terrorism unit to help protect small states with limited resources.

After two hours of talks with Australian counterpart John Howard yesterday, Prime Minister Helen Clark said New Zealand knew how much extra effort and expense was required after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

"If we feel the extra burden of that, imagine how much more it is for small Pacific Island states."

The South Pacific Forum in Auckland in August would look at how a "regional capability" could be established. She was reluctant to discuss details, although a spokesman indicated police anti-terrorism training would be an obvious first step and that a "regional institution" could be established.

Mr Howard said Australia was also keen to help small island states improve governance arrangements.

"We in Australia see linkages between ongoing assistance and governance in these countries. And obviously the critical mass that's needed to maintain some of the services and infrastructure of nationhood are lacking and we have to find as a community of countries ... new ways of assembling that critical mass."

The South Pacific move is seen as a useful demonstration of common ground in the fight against terrorism at a time of a transtasman rift over an invasion of Iraq.

Australia has sent 2000 troops to the Gulf and is likely to back a US-led war even without a UN mandate.

New Zealand is backing France and Germany in opposing unilateral US action.

At a joint press conference yesterday, Helen Clark said the two countries had agreed to disagree.

Mr Howard said if countries acted in unison there might be some "buckling of the knees in Baghdad".

Small but noisy bands of anti-war protesters dogged Mr Howard from the time he arrived at Auckland's Whenuapai air base on Saturday.

About 80 protesters armed with an inflatable bomb and a sign saying "Yankee Doodle Johnny" protested beside the road leading into the base.