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US, New Zealand Sign Pact Ending 25-Year Rift

   VOA News 04 November 2010
   U.S.  Secretary  of  State  Hillary  Rodham  Clinton looks on during a
   traditional  Maori  welcoming  ceremony in Wellington, New Zealand, 04
   Nov. 2010.

Photo: AP

   U.S.  Secretary  of  State  Hillary  Rodham  Clinton looks on during a
   traditional  Maori welcoming ceremony after arriving at the Parliament
   Complex, Wellington, New Zealand, 04 Nov. 2010.

   The  United  States and New Zealand have ended a 25-year rift with the
   signing  Thursday  of  a  broad  pact  calling for agreement on issues
   ranging from counter-terrorism to climate change.
   The United States was represented at the signing by Secretary of State
   Hillary  Clinton,  who  is on a two-week Asia-Pacific tour to showcase
   America's renewed commitment to the region.
   The  agreement,  called  the  "Wellington  Declaration," establishes a
   "strategic  partnership" that also provides for cooperation on natural
   disasters,   nuclear   non-proliferation  and  trans-national  crime.Â
   Clinton  said  the  countries  also  want  to  enhance  their military
   cooperation.
   The agreement effectively ends an estrangement that began in 1985 when
   New  Zealand declared itself a nuclear-free state and banned visits by
   U.S. warships.
   The United States, which refuses to say whether its ships are carrying
   nuclear weapons, responded by dissolving a three-way security alliance
   that also included Australia.
   Clinton  departs  New Zealand on Saturday for Australia, the last stop
   on her seven-nation tour of Asia.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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