'Snub' talk dismays Howard

Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Helen Clark chat before Australia's memorial service at Lone Pine in Gallipoli. Picture / Reuters

Australian Prime Minister John Howard is said to be dismayed by reports that he snubbed New Zealand's memorial service at Gallipoli and has given a personal explanation to Prime Minister Helen Clark.

Shortly before the pair left Gallipoli, Mr Howard took Helen Clark aside to discuss the matter, said Helen Clark's spokesman.

Mr Howard's decision to go to a barbecue on the beach with his troops instead of the New Zealand service received extensive coverage in New Zealand for the two days before the 90th anniversary commemorations and after it.

Some reports said New Zealand officials had tried to convince Australian officials to get Mr Howard to attend, warning that it would be seen as an insult.

National leader Don Brash said it should be of concern to New Zealand that Mr Howard would prefer a barbecue to the New Zealand service.

But according to Helen Clark's spokesman, Mr Howard told Helen Clark that no one had told him that the New Zealand service was being held at a different time to Australia's. He had not realised it was possible to attend both.

He was said to have been as dismayed as she was at reports that he had snubbed the service.

The last time both Prime Ministers were at Gallipoli together, services were held at the same time.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's Chief of Defence, Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson, defended the speech he gave at the New Zealand service, in which he said perhaps the Gallipoli campaign was "a high-water mark of our nation's imperial subservience" and referred to British blunders and squandering of life to an audience that included Prince Charles.

"What I was trying to do, as my own personal views, was not say perhaps we have gone on too long immortalising about our men who died valiantly, and they did die valiantly," Air Marshal Ferguson said. "But did they need to die valiantly?"

He said people may disagree with his speech but "at least they get to think about it. Terrible decisions were made based on poor premises and we lost thousands of people".

Air Marshal Ferguson said Prince Charles had no trouble with the speech. "We had a good chat. He was not concerned at all."

He said the speech was aimed at young people in the hope the mistakes of the past would not be repeated. Soldiers should have the expectation that they would be properly led.

Helen Clark said after the midday memorial service at Chunuk Bair yesterday she was comfortable with the speech. "I think 90 years on things can be said which might not have been said nearer to the time."