John Key, Helen Clark discuss TPPA

  • 01/10/2015
John Key (L) and Helen Clark (3 News)
John Key (L) and Helen Clark (3 News)

Prime Minister John Key has been busy in New York meeting with his former political foe Helen Clark.

The pair exchanged pleasantries before sitting down to talk about the crisis in Syria and the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

Former Prime Minister and current UN Development Programme head Ms Clark says the TPPA is an important balancing act for the Government.

"What always haunts one as a New Zealand prime minister is, will there be a series of trade blocs developed that you're not part of? Because that is unthinkable for New Zealanders, an export-oriented, small trading nation," she told reporters.

"So of course New Zealand has to be in on the action with a [TPPA] and go for the very best deal it can."

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Murray McCully has taken another swipe at the UN Security Council.

In one of the strongest attacks yet, he condemned the organisation's failure over Syria and other Middle East conflicts.

Mr McCully used words like "dysfunction" and "mistrust" to describe the Security Council's performance.

He says deep differences between the big five members – Russia, the United States, Britain, France and China – stood in the way of a resolution.

3 News