You promised, Anderton tells Greens

By FRANCESCA MOLD political editor

Acting Prime Minister Jim Anderton has warned the Green Party it would be breaking a promise if it withdrew support for the Government over its stance on genetically modified food.

Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said yesterday that the party's supporters would not tolerate its continuing to back the Coalition if it took the country down the "GE road".

She said the Greens' support for the Government was never unconditional.

"Otherwise we might as well say, 'Have our seven votes and we'll go back to the farm'."

But Mr Anderton, the Alliance leader, said the Greens' stance broke a written promise of "unconditional" support on matters of confidence and money supply.

The spat between Labour's two minority allies comes as pressure builds on the Government from within, with Maori MPs threatening to oppose any decision to relax current restrictions on field trials and the commercial release of genetically modified crops.

But the Greens rejected Mr Anderton's claims and Labour sources distanced the party from the dispute, saying it was unconcerned at the Green position and saw relations as cordial.

"It's business as usual with the Greens, who have supported us for two years," one source said.

Prime Minister Helen Clark was en route to Shanghai for the Apec summit and could not be contacted.

Greens co-leader Rod Donald also said there was no promise of unconditional support. He said that after the election but before the Greens were certain they had won seats in Parliament, the Government asked for a letter confirming the party's support on confidence and supply.

"We neither wrote them a letter nor promised to do so, but made it clear through the media that they had our support on confidence and supply. We never offered the Government a blank cheque."

A spokesman for Mr Anderton yesterday argued that the Greens' public statements of support for the Government did not contain conditions, but they were now reneging on that by trying to impose one.

He also pointed to an exchange of letters made during an unsuccessful attempt to broker a deal with the Greens after the election.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters waded into the row yesterday, offering to talk to the Coalition about his party's helping it on confidence and supply by abstaining from voting on these issues, leaving it with a majority in the House.

He said the offer was made in an attempt to avoid political instability in a time of international and economic uncertainty created by the war against terrorism.

He said the Greens were threatening to "pull the plug" on the Coalition and, while New Zealand First did not support some of the Government's policies, it would be prepared to contribute towards continued security.

Labour MP and Maori caucus chairman Mita Ririnui yesterday urged the Government to introduce a moratorium on field trials of genetically modified organisms for at least two years.

"Maori members of the caucus have been told that there has been a groundswell against the use of genetically modified organisms, whether it is in our food sources or as an untested 'cure', amongst many of our people," the Waiariki MP said.

The Coalition is planning a two-year compulsory moratorium on the commercial release of GM organisms and a majority of MPs are understood to support extending the ban to new field trials.

Although the Government will not make its final decision on its response to the Royal Commission into Genetic Modification until October 29, MPs were yesterday talking of limiting, rather than completely banning, field trials by drawing a distinction between human food, crops at risk of cross pollinating and others.

The royal commission recommended that commercial release of genetically modified organisms be allowed in limited circumstances.

Mr Anderton said yesterday that the Government would take a precautionary approach but was also committed to ensuring that scientific work and research continued.

nzherald.co.nz/ge

Report of the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification

GE lessons from Britain

GE links

GE glossary