US Senator brushes off Peters incident

United States Senator John McCain has dismissed as "insignificant" the incident involving Foreign Minister Winston Peters and New Zealand journalists at a meeting in Washington on Tuesday.

"There was a bit of a mix-up in co-ordinating the press coverage at the top of the meeting, and this I understand has prompted several stories in the New Zealand media," he said yesterday in a statement to NZPA.

"Having been a senator for a number of years, I am well accustomed to mix-ups such as these and would simply note that it was entirely insignificant."

Mr Peters has been criticised by opposition politicians for the way he interrupted a press conference while Senator McCain was talking up the US relationship with New Zealand and supporting a free-trade agreement.

Mr Peters was annoyed because journalists were asking more questions than he thought they were entitled to, and said he was "calling a halt" to the press conference even though it was in Senator McCain's office and arranged by his staff.

Senator McCain said his meeting with Mr Peters had been "excellent" and the incident in no way diminished his "deep affection for New Zealand or my belief in the necessity of strong bilateral relations".

- NZPA