NZ team hopeful of progress on Everest

A New Zealand expedition waiting to climb Mt Everest hopes to be back climbing in the next few days, its base camp team leader says.

A Kiwi expedition being managed by top climber Guy Cotter had been waiting for the Chinese torch carrying team to reach the summit of the mountain the world ahead of the Beijing Olympics which kick off later this year.

Problems in Tibet had meant the mountain had been closed to foreigners while the torch was taken to the top.

But in an update today he said he had been talking to his team leader and he was now hopeful of progress.

Cotter said he had managed to discuss the situation with expedition leader Mike Roberts last night by satellite phone from Everest base camp.

"Until now contact with base camp has been limited as satellite telephones have been taken into the military possession and calls can only be made at set times…''

"Mike told me that contrary to what I had reported on Monday to the media, where I'd suggested that money was being extorted from the teams by the military, that this wasn't actually the case."

"He went on to say that the military were being fair and reasonable and doing their best in a difficult situation and there was not the feeling that they were being treated as potential terrorists as we'd been led to believe."

Cotter said the climbing teams will return to the mountain once the Chinese torch-carrying team has reached the summit.

While there had been no official report on where they were right now it was anticipated they could summit within the next couple of days.

"It will be a huge weight off my shoulders to see the Chinese reach the summit as our team will be able to get on with climbing the