Posted on 08/17/2005 1:59:18 AM PDT by shaggy eel
The United States has allowed New Zealand to join a combined military exercise off Singapore, signalling an apparent thaw in the Anzus defence standoff.
New Zealand and American forces are participating in a multi-national exercise this week, which is practising interception of ships carrying weapons of mass destruction.
Since the mid-1980s the US has barred New Zealand participation in joint exercises in retaliation for New Zealand's anti-nuclear law.
The only exceptions have been when the two countries are required to work together in preparation for operational military deployments, such as when frigates, Orions and army units have been deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom missions to Afghanistan, and the Persian Gulf area.
US embassy spokeswoman Janine Burns said the US strongly supported New Zealand participation in the initiative, "so we issued a waiver to permit our military to exercise with the NZDF in this particular instance".
She was not aware whether a waiver had been issued before.
Victoria University Centre for Strategic Studies director Peter Cozens said the waiver was "extremely significant".
AdvertisementAdvertisementHe said it was the first time he was aware of that such a waiver had been applied by the US Government.
"It illustrates a . . . closer government recognition of each other's position . . . Both parties – New Zealand and the US – would have had to talk about it. In this particular instance there is a benefit for both parties. It doesn't mean to say we'll have a similar one in the future, but it is a step in the right direction."
A US Navy destroyer is taking part in the exercise along with a New Zealand Air Force Orion patrol aircraft.
Australian, Japanese and British military are also involved in exercise Deep Sabre.
New Zealand Defence spokeswoman Sandy McKie understood New Zealand customs officers were also involved in the exercise along with customs staff from other countries.
She said the Orion was flying two maritime surveillance and interdiction flights.
The Australian military contribution includes a navy ship and customs vessel. The Westralia will perform the role of a target vessel suspected of transporting material for weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Cozens said the exercise showed that New Zealand and the US appreciated the need to work together in the region.
"I think it's a good sign for both governments and it signals to a broader clientele within the Indo-Pacific that New Zealand and the US are prepared to work and cooperate together for a great good."
Irrespective of any US difficulties in Iraq, "friends helped their friends out", he said.
Defence Minister Mark Burton declined to comment on whether it constituted an advance in military ties.
It was a regional exercise with many other parties and was aimed at stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction, which New Zealand had long taken a strong position on.
The exercise coincides with the arrival of US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, who is the highest-ranked American official to visit New Zealand since the Apec summit in Auckland six years ago.
Mr Johanns' arrival in Auckland this Sunday was confirmed yesterday by his New Zealand counterpart, Agriculture and Trade Minister Jim Sutton.
Mr Sutton said the visit would give Mr Johanns a close-up look at New Zealand's agriculture sector, particularly the dairy, meat and wool sectors.
Mr Johanns would meet Prime Minister Helen Clark during the two-day visit.
Visits by top-level American officials have been rare since the Anzus row, though some senior US senators and congressmen have made informal visits.
Mr Johann is stopping off on his way to Australia for agriculture talks.
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ping
,,, that's what a vegetarian diet does to you. Imagine turning up to the office to not comment.
Didn't New Zealand disband its airforce two years ago? What is impotence worth?
John Kerry for president of New Zealand!
IMO, I think NZ is a little nervous about China.
,,, there's a 757 or two and some clapped out C-130s. Ask your guys serving in the Gulf. There's still some transports being flogged up that way. It's our combat wing that was sold off to some training school in Arizona or somewhere to pay for the "arts/gay" vote here with "arts" funding.
,,, John Kerry would be a big step up from the thing that's running our show right now.
Can't we all just get along??....
,,, the Chinese own the Panama Canal and an awful lot in US Treasury bonds. I'd say we're more concerned about the US funding China's military expansion with all those cheap imported goods made with slave labour.
,,, somewhere off Singapore?
Anyone to the right of Barbara Boxer would be a conservative here. Heck, we are so much like Ontario of Canada (the only part of Canada that counts in the national government) that we like to think of ourselves as "sensible conservatives" when in fact we vote for straight centre-leftists or wet conservatives in droves.
But to be fair, on issues that we are conservative we get VERY conservative, just like the mother country and Europe. Free trade and immigration are two such examples for NZ. And don't forget the droves of conservative ordinary Kiwis but more often than not they are already Australians or Americans or British.
,,, you're still here? I thought you'd be one of the 450 people a week leaving NZ for the bright lights of Kings Cross or Connaught Road. What keeps you here?
Family. I will see how things go over the next 5 years.
People reading all this should realise that while the New Zealand Defence Forces are small, and in some areas very unfortunate decisions have been made by the government, what they still have is of very high quality. New Zealand's soldiers, sailors and airmen are as professional as any on Earth - it's not their fault that their government doesn't always give them the tools they need to do their job.
New Zealand is definatley upping its international engagement on the weightier matters of global security it has previously ignored (geographically - it has always felt quite safe - now with globalisation etc I don't think New Zealanders feel quite as disconnected from the rest of the world as they did. I also understand there are Kiwi SAS troops currently serving in Afghanistan.
I was in Auckland in June and found I was sharing my hotel with General Musharrif and 90 (NINTEY!) members of his government (plus seemingly the entire New Zealand police force) - so they are definatley having hard core talks at the ultimate highest level with Pakistan too.
As my mother used to say to me - "It will do them good to get out more"!
,,, I think the Greens will do a lot better in the elections this time round. Traditional Labour voters will give their votes to the Maori Party or Destiny and the Greens this time round if they feel they've been sold out.
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