Smith disgusted by cheap political shot

National’s Foreign Affairs spokesman, Lockwood Smith, says he is disgusted that Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff is prepared to put New Zealand’s international relationships at serious risk for the sake of a cheap political shot.

“He has also seriously compromised and politicised New Zealand’s public service by releasing selected parts of notes while withholding full details that would put the Labour Party in poor light.

“The allegation by Labour that I proposed a US-funded campaign to change our anti-nuclear legislation is utterly untrue.

“To the extent that the note released by Mr Goff implies that I wanted to invite a US think tank to run such a campaign in this country, that is equally untrue.

“I can only surmise that the junior ministry official who took notes misunderstood the discussion.

“New Zealanders should note that Mr Goff continues to refuse to release the full notes from the meeting because he knows that any balanced report of the discussion will show his Government in the poorest of lights.

“I am absolutely committed to an independent foreign policy and I have made major efforts to find a way through the conflicts in the relationship with the US that have developed under this Labour Government while maintaining that independence.

“I totally support National policy that there should not be any change to our anti-nuclear legislation without a referendum,” Dr Smith says.

Ends

© Scoop Media