Hillary Clinton to visit New Zealand

Reuters

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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to New Zealand this month will strengthen relations between the two countries, says Foreign Minister Murray McCully.

Mrs Clinton will meet Mr McCully and Prime Minister John Key during her January 15-17 visit, which is the first by a senior member of President Obama's administration.

The visit comes at a time of continued growth in the relationship between the US and New Zealand, Mr McCully said.

"It signals that we're on a very positive track. We've had a very good year in the relationship," he told Radio New Zealand.

"The visit will be a good opportunity to continue to advance the strong bilateral relationship with the United States."

Discussions would tackle international and regional developments, as well as improving the security relationship between the two countries, he said.

"We've got some big items on the agenda of course, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which has got major trade implications for New Zealand."

The US signalled in November it was ready for negotiations on expanding the regional trade agreement, which currently includes New Zealand and three other Pacific nations.

Mrs Clinton is also expected to discuss US plans to step up the war against Taliban militants in Afghanistan.

New Zealand sent 71 SAS troops to Afghanistan in September, the first such deployment since 2006. A further 140 members of a provincial reconstruction team are stationed in Bamiyan province.

Mrs Clinton also plans to meet veterans from New Zealand and Australia at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Her visit was months in the planning but was only confirmed some days ago, Mr McCully said.

The last visit by a US Secretary of State to New Zealand was by Condoleezza Rice, in 2008.

- NZPA