Secretariat in dark over meeting costs

Press, 1 November 1982, Page 4

Secretariat in dark over meeting costs

By

DIANA DEKKER

in London

The Commonwealth Secretariat in London has heard nothing of any New Zealand plans not to pay the cost of preparing the Finance Ministers' meeting, to have been held in Auckland last year. The meeting was held in the Bahamas because of the Springbok tour. The Minister of Foreign Affairs. Mr Cooper, has been quoted as saying that NeuZealand would not pay the $42,000 it owed the secretariat for preparing for the Auckland meeting. A spokesman for the secretariat said in London: “We are certainly not going to

react in any way on this. Governments have a right to do what they feel is correct. Many governments are in arrears. If they want to recoup it. there is nothing we can do. "If they decide to take it out of their mandatory contribution. our budget will be down. If they take it from their voluntary contribution, there is no fixed budget for that.” he said “We are quite flexible about these matters. We certainly would not want a dispute.” The spokesman said the secretariat had heard nothing from New Zealand on how it planned to resolve the matter.