Govt continues foreign affairs blunders

Phil Goff's clumsy blunder causing major offence to Israel shows again how inept Labour is at foreign relations, says National Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Dr Wayne Mapp.

"If you know in advance that by meeting with Chairman Yasser Arafat you don't get to meet with Ariel Sharon, you would arrange to meet both Prime Ministers instead. That is precisely why the Palestinian Authority has appointed Mahmoud Abbas as the Prime Minister.

"If you are a serious player in this area, you have to have some respect for the sensitivities there. "Surely Mr Goff can see that New Zealand needs to take an even-handed approach if we are to be effective.

"It is naive of Mr Goff to try to grandstand on this issue," Dr Mapp said.

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