US, New Zealand sign deal

N ZEALAND: The United States and New Zealand signed a "highly symbolic" strategic deal Thursday, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said, as they seek to end a 24-year row over nuclear weapons.

The Wellington Declaration is designed to increase cooperation and political dialogue between the former allies, McCully said in a statement, during a visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"It turns a new page in the relationship and establishes a framework for close cooperation across a whole range of fields of shared interest," McCully said.

The agreement commits both sides to annual military talks and regular, high-level political dialogue. They also agreed to work together on practical projects in the Pacific including disaster preparedness and renewable energy.

New Zealand has not been a formal United States ally since 1986, when Washington suspended a defence treaty over legislation banning nuclear warships from its waters. Wellington, AFP