[asia-apec 1572] NZ Herald -

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NZ Herald
15/09/00 - NZ reassures Singapore on trade stance 
						By BERNARD ORSMAN

New Zealand has assured Singapore that political sparring between National and Labour will not scupper a free-trade deal between the countries.

Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton had to reassure Singapore High Commissioner Tan Keng Jin on Tuesday afternoon when Opposition leader Jenny Shipley was hedging on National support for the agreement unless changes were made to the wording of a Treaty of Waitangi clause.

With the Alliance joining the Greens in opposing the agreement, leaving Labour relying on National to pass a parliamentary vote of approval for it, the deal and New Zealand's free-trade credentials were at risk.

Mr Tan approached Mr Sutton at a Dairy Board function in Wellington for an explanation over the political scrapping. A spokeswoman for Mr Sutton said the minister reassured Mr Tan that it was just politics and there was nothing to worry about.

Later on Tuesday, Mrs Shipley started working on a face-saving way for National to back the pact that would also allow her MPs to oppose the treaty clause, which allows more favourable treatment for Maori.

Mr Tan took the unusual step yesterday of attending a parliamentary select committee meeting that discussed the "closer economic partnership" with Singapore. 

He sat alongside Mr Sutton as a "friendly observer," taking notes, and declined to comment when asked by the committee. At one point, Mr Sutton stepped in stop NZ First leader Winston Peters quizzing Mr Tan.

 Under intense questioning from National's John Luxton and Lockwood Smith, at the foreign affairs and defence select committee, Mr Sutton was unable to say who inserted the words "favourable treatment for Maori" after a discussion paper on the pact, which did not include them, went out for public comment in April.
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