Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 18, 2005 20:31:38 GMT 12
It looks like the Government wants to get out of ANZUS altogether and start again with the USA, probably a good thing
From Stuff.co.nz
www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3474516a6160,00.html
Anzus is irrelevant, says Goff
11 November 2005
By DAN EATON
The Anzus security treaty is no longer relevant and New Zealand has no intention of reviving its role in the three-way pact with the United States and Australia, Defence Minister Phil Goff says.
New Zealand would like to "move the relationship on" with the US, and sees the 54-year-old treaty – which still forms the cornerstone of America's security relationship with Australia – as outdated.
"We've never talked about reconstituting Anzus as such," Goff told The Press.
"The nature of that treaty I don't think is relevant to circumstances in the world today."
Goff said the security treaty was developed at the insistence of Australia and New Zealand when they feared a resurgence of Japanese militarism at the end of World War 2.
The Anzus treaty, in which the three signatories pledged to work together in the event of an invasion or attack, was signed in September 1951 in San Francisco, and came into force the following year.
New Zealand's 1985 anti-nuclear laws, passed under a Labour government, banned nuclear-powered or armed ships from its ports and saw Washington abrogate its responsibilities towards New Zealand under the treaty.
New Zealand has, however, never withdrawn formally from the alliance.
While New Zealand no longer participates, the agreement was invoked by Australia after the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
The importance which Australia continued to attach to the pact was illustrated in a subsequent speech by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who said it was more than a pledge to come to each other's aid.
"The Anzus treaty is one of those arrangements...which binds the United States into the security architecture of the Asia Pacific region, in particular East Asia," Downer said.
"Even if we have disagreements with them on other issues, it is a mistake to lose sight of that."
Goff's stance on Anzus could put him at odds with new Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who was cited in the Australian media last month as saying he hoped to rekindle the pact.
Experts said Anzus remained relevant only in as far as Australia and the US saw it as a formal bond between allies.
"The deployment of SAS troops to Afghanistan and our participation in a recent naval exercise with the US shows that we can still find ways to work together," said Dr David Capie, a lecturer in international relations at Wellington's Victoria University.
Goff, who is also the Trade Minister, said New Zealand's relationship with the US was good.
New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance has been blamed by some observers for Wellington's inability to secure a free trade agreement with Washington. It has also been blamed for a sharp decline in the capabilities of the New Zealand Defence Force due to fewer training opportunities with their American counterparts.
However, he said the nuclear issue was not the main obstacle to bringing down trade barriers with the US.
He did not elaborate, but said there was substantial support in the US Congress and business community for a trade deal.
"What we need is an initiative from the Administration. Will we get it? It is not quite clear what the time frame might be."
From Stuff.co.nz
www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3474516a6160,00.html
Anzus is irrelevant, says Goff
11 November 2005
By DAN EATON
The Anzus security treaty is no longer relevant and New Zealand has no intention of reviving its role in the three-way pact with the United States and Australia, Defence Minister Phil Goff says.
New Zealand would like to "move the relationship on" with the US, and sees the 54-year-old treaty – which still forms the cornerstone of America's security relationship with Australia – as outdated.
"We've never talked about reconstituting Anzus as such," Goff told The Press.
"The nature of that treaty I don't think is relevant to circumstances in the world today."
Goff said the security treaty was developed at the insistence of Australia and New Zealand when they feared a resurgence of Japanese militarism at the end of World War 2.
The Anzus treaty, in which the three signatories pledged to work together in the event of an invasion or attack, was signed in September 1951 in San Francisco, and came into force the following year.
New Zealand's 1985 anti-nuclear laws, passed under a Labour government, banned nuclear-powered or armed ships from its ports and saw Washington abrogate its responsibilities towards New Zealand under the treaty.
New Zealand has, however, never withdrawn formally from the alliance.
While New Zealand no longer participates, the agreement was invoked by Australia after the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
The importance which Australia continued to attach to the pact was illustrated in a subsequent speech by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who said it was more than a pledge to come to each other's aid.
"The Anzus treaty is one of those arrangements...which binds the United States into the security architecture of the Asia Pacific region, in particular East Asia," Downer said.
"Even if we have disagreements with them on other issues, it is a mistake to lose sight of that."
Goff's stance on Anzus could put him at odds with new Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who was cited in the Australian media last month as saying he hoped to rekindle the pact.
Experts said Anzus remained relevant only in as far as Australia and the US saw it as a formal bond between allies.
"The deployment of SAS troops to Afghanistan and our participation in a recent naval exercise with the US shows that we can still find ways to work together," said Dr David Capie, a lecturer in international relations at Wellington's Victoria University.
Goff, who is also the Trade Minister, said New Zealand's relationship with the US was good.
New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance has been blamed by some observers for Wellington's inability to secure a free trade agreement with Washington. It has also been blamed for a sharp decline in the capabilities of the New Zealand Defence Force due to fewer training opportunities with their American counterparts.
However, he said the nuclear issue was not the main obstacle to bringing down trade barriers with the US.
He did not elaborate, but said there was substantial support in the US Congress and business community for a trade deal.
"What we need is an initiative from the Administration. Will we get it? It is not quite clear what the time frame might be."