Diplomatic hopes on hold

Press, 22 June 1989, Page 2

Diplomatic hopes on hold

NZPA Washington The prompt confirmation of Della Newman to be United States Ambassador to New Zealand was blocked yesterday amidst charges she was part of the “money merry-go-round” of political appointees. The Maryland Democrat Senator, Paul Sarbanes, used these words in the Senate foreign relations committee to describe his frustrations at President George Bush nominating wealthy political supporters to be ambassadors.

He exercised his right to block for now the confirmation of Mrs Newman, a Seattle real estate saleswoman, and two other designated ambassadors, Mel Sembler for Australia and Joseph Zappala to Spain. Mr Sarbanes’ surprise political gesture will stop Mrs Newman from being fully confirmed by the Senate until about mid-July and prevent her being in Wellington by July 4, the United States national day, as

had been planned. In the committee Mr Sarbanes quoted a line from the popular movie, when the ambassadorial nominations came up for review. “I’m just not going to take it anymore,” he said. A press spokesman, Mr Bruce Frame, quoted Senator Sarbanes as saying he was “getting very concerned about the qualifications of some of the political nominees coming up.” “There seems to be a money merry-go-round going around here where extensive political contributions seem sufficient to gain ambassadorial nominations,” he said. Mr Frame said there was no inclination to hold further hearings on the nominations and although Senator Sarbanes would vote against Mrs Newman and the others he indicatd it was more of a gesture the Senator was making than an

attempt to permanently stop the appointments.

“There’s been some concern on both sides about the quality of some of the nominees,” said Mr Frame, who acknowledged partisan political issues were at stake as the nominees were wealthy Republican contributers for Mr Bush. ■ “Money combined with no other obvious qualification,” was the concern, he said.

“It’s an effort to raise the question and begin a debate, not only about these nominees but about future nominees.” Mr Frame said two other Democrat Senators, Charles Robb and Paul Simon, also expressed concern. Mrs Newman, whose confirmation had been expected to be untroubled, headed Mr Bush’s campaign organisation in the north-west state of Washington and her husband, Wells McCurdy, was a key fund-raiser.