| 00:00:02 |
00:00:03 |
Madam Prime Minister, welcome. |
| 00:00:03 |
00:00:07 |
We've had a really
fruitful discussion. |
| 00:00:07 |
00:00:11 |
The Prime Minister and I
have visited several times |
| 00:00:12 |
00:00:14 |
over the course
of the years. |
| 00:00:14 |
00:00:16 |
Every time I've talked
to Helen Clark |
| 00:00:16 |
00:00:19 |
I've found a very
straightforward, honest woman |
| 00:00:19 |
00:00:22 |
who cares deeply about
the country she represents. |
| 00:00:23 |
00:00:24 |
And I really thank you
very much for coming back. |
| 00:00:25 |
00:00:29 |
We talked about a lot of subjects.
We talked about the importance |
| 00:00:29 |
00:00:30 |
for the United States
and New Zealand |
| 00:00:30 |
00:00:34 |
to work cooperatively
in helping democracy |
| 00:00:34 |
00:00:35 |
in places like
Afghanistan. |
| 00:00:36 |
00:00:38 |
We talked about
North Korea and Iran, |
| 00:00:38 |
00:00:43 |
our mutual desire
for these problems of nations |
| 00:00:43 |
00:00:45 |
wanting to have nuclear weapons
to be solved in a peaceful way, |
| 00:00:46 |
00:00:52 |
by using the diplomatic process.
We talked about commerce. |
| 00:00:52 |
00:00:55 |
We talked about
the environment |
| 00:00:56 |
00:00:58 |
and the need for our
respective countries |
| 00:00:58 |
00:01:01 |
to work toward
energy security. |
| 00:01:01 |
00:01:04 |
I assured the Prime Minister
that my initiative |
| 00:01:04 |
00:01:06 |
to reduce gasoline
in the United States |
| 00:01:06 |
00:01:08 |
y 20 percent over
the next 10 years |
| 00:01:08 |
00:01:11 |
was a realistic initiative
that's going to require |
| 00:01:11 |
00:01:15 |
new technologies, which we hope
that other parts of the world, |
| 00:01:15 |
00:01:17 |
including New Zealand,
will find useful |
| 00:01:18 |
00:01:19 |
to help achieve the
common objective. |
| 00:01:20 |
00:01:24 |
We talked about
the South Pacific. |
| 00:01:24 |
00:01:25 |
And I praised the
Prime Minister |
| 00:01:26 |
00:01:28 |
on her leadership in dealing
with some difficult issues. |
| 00:01:29 |
00:01:31 |
I assured her
that our government |
| 00:01:31 |
00:01:34 |
would want to help
in any way we can. We... |
| 00:01:35 |
00:01:36 |
We understand this is a... |
| 00:01:38 |
00:01:42 |
some of the countries there
have got difficult issues, |
| 00:01:43 |
00:01:46 |
and it requires
New Zealand's leadership |
| 00:01:46 |
00:01:48 |
with U.S. help to
help solve the problems |
| 00:01:48 |
00:01:49 |
and Australian
help, as well. |
| 00:01:50 |
00:01:55 |
We talked about the need
for us to continue to work together |
| 00:01:56 |
00:01:59 |
in the Asia Pacific region,
about how APEC is a useful forum |
| 00:02:00 |
00:02:01 |
for New Zealand
and the United States |
| 00:02:01 |
00:02:04 |
to work with China
and other nations. |
| 00:02:05 |
00:02:07 |
All in all, I found it to be a
constructive conversation, |
| 00:02:07 |
00:02:10 |
such a good conversation I've
decided to invite her for lunch. |
| 00:02:11 |
00:02:12 |
Madam Prime Minister. |
| 00:02:13 |
00:02:16 |
Well, thank you, Mr. President.
It has been a good conversation. |
| 00:02:16 |
00:02:20 |
It's a very good relationship.
And we talked about the areas |
| 00:02:20 |
00:02:22 |
in the new international
security environment |
| 00:02:22 |
00:02:23 |
where we're working
particularly closely |
| 00:02:24 |
00:02:26 |
counter-terrorism,
counter-proliferation. |
| 00:02:26 |
00:02:28 |
The President is very familiar
with the work New Zealand |
| 00:02:28 |
00:02:31 |
has been doing in Afghanistan
and very appreciative of it, |
| 00:02:31 |
00:02:34 |
as I know the Afghanistan
government and people are. |
| 00:02:34 |
00:02:37 |
We've talked about
New Zealand's support |
| 00:02:37 |
00:02:40 |
in the counter-proliferation area.
I told the President today |
| 00:02:41 |
00:02:44 |
that following on the good work
that his country and others |
| 00:02:44 |
00:02:47 |
have done in the
six-party talks in North Korea, |
| 00:02:47 |
00:02:50 |
New Zealand is prepared
to offer support |
| 00:02:50 |
00:02:54 |
for the energy package as part
of the initial actions agreement |
| 00:02:54 |
00:02:57 |
that came out of the last session
of the six-party talks. |
| 00:02:57 |
00:03:01 |
We've been involved
with the Korean issue before, |
| 00:03:01 |
00:03:04 |
support of the KEDO fund.
So we're prepared to be in, |
| 00:03:05 |
00:03:08 |
and support de-nuclearization
of the Korean Peninsula. |
| 00:03:08 |
00:03:12 |
We're also participating
with the U.S. on another project |
| 00:03:12 |
00:03:15 |
under the G8
global partnership |
| 00:03:15 |
00:03:19 |
for eliminating the weapons
of mass destruction |
| 00:03:19 |
00:03:21 |
still floating around
the ex-Soviet countries. |
| 00:03:21 |
00:03:24 |
And we'll be involved in another
partnership with the U.S. |
| 00:03:24 |
00:03:27 |
on the Ukranian border,
which involves training officials |
| 00:03:27 |
00:03:30 |
and detecting material
which might be crossing borders. |
| 00:03:31 |
00:03:34 |
I talked about the importance
to us of the U.S. presence |
| 00:03:34 |
00:03:37 |
in the Asia Pacific.
We cooperate a lot |
| 00:03:37 |
00:03:39 |
on the Asia Pacific,
a lot of common objectives, |
| 00:03:39 |
00:03:43 |
work well in APEC together.
I particularly welcomed |
| 00:03:43 |
00:03:46 |
the President's support
for developing up the concept |
| 00:03:46 |
00:03:49 |
of a free trade area
of the Asia Pacific, |
| 00:03:49 |
00:03:52 |
which we have to look at
again at the Sydney APEC summit. |
| 00:03:52 |
00:03:55 |
Also appreciative of
the fact that the U.S. |
| 00:03:55 |
00:03:58 |
is focusing on the problems
of the South Pacific. |
| 00:03:59 |
00:04:03 |
We've had close coordination on
the aftermath of the coup in Fiji, |
| 00:04:03 |
00:04:07 |
on the issues in the
Solomon Islands, on Tonga, |
| 00:04:07 |
00:04:09 |
where the State Department
is shortly to send another envoy |
| 00:04:10 |
00:04:11 |
to look at the
situation there. |
| 00:04:11 |
00:04:13 |
Quite a considerable Tonga
population in the U.S., |
| 00:04:14 |
00:04:16 |
as well as in
New Zealand. |
| 00:04:16 |
00:04:18 |
And of course, Timor,
which has many |
| 00:04:18 |
00:04:21 |
of the characteristics of
a South Pacific country, |
| 00:04:21 |
00:04:25 |
we're very active in, as well; just
sent a new helicopter contingent |
| 00:04:25 |
00:04:27 |
up there to support
the peace effort. |
| 00:04:27 |
00:04:30 |
So all in all, we've run
through those issues. |
| 00:04:30 |
00:04:33 |
I've indicated
that New Zealand |
| 00:04:33 |
00:04:35 |
is very supportive of
fast-track authority |
| 00:04:36 |
00:04:38 |
being extended
because the Doha Round |
| 00:04:38 |
00:04:42 |
needs that extension.
And if at some point |
| 00:04:43 |
00:04:45 |
in the future the U.S.
is in a position |
| 00:04:46 |
00:04:49 |
to consider negotiating
with more countries on FTA, |
| 00:04:49 |
00:04:51 |
New Zealand is there.
And we think we present |
| 00:04:51 |
00:04:54 |
very, very few problems
for the U.S. |
| 00:04:54 |
00:04:56 |
So had the opportunity
to run over a lot of issues, |
| 00:04:56 |
00:04:58 |
and a very, very
good relationship, |
| 00:04:59 |
00:05:01 |
and thank the President for the
invitation to be here today. |
| 00:05:02 |
00:05:03 |
Thank you Madame Prime Minister.
Thank you all. |