In a meeting with Foreign Minister Murray McCully in Washington, D.C. today, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told New Zealand that it would be best if it could just “stay put” and “do nothing.”
Behind closed doors, the two men spent the majority of their time discussing the Middle East peace process, during which witnesses say an excited McCully made numerous suggestions for ways in which New Zealand could help.
Amongst McCully’s suggestions was the idea that New Zealand could lend peacekeepers to an international force that would provide a buffer zone between Israel and Palestine.
“Maybe,” said Kerry. “Why?”
When McCully told him he just thought it would be a simple way to take some work off American shoulders, Kerry said that he was pretty sure the U.S. didn’t need that.
“I think we’ve got that under control,” he said.
Sources say Kerry spent a large portion of the meeting checking his watch, while McCully was enamoured by the room he was hosted in, at one point complimenting Kerry on the lamp that sat on the side table next to them.
“Don’t touch that,” said Kerry. “It’s expensive.”
The two men also engaged in some lighter conversation about their families and their daily schedules. McCully recounted one story about him getting held up at the airport when he was meant to be flying to D.C.
“Yeah, okay,” said Kerry.
Following the meeting, Kerry ushered McCully into the hallway, where the pair briefly spoke to media about their encounter.
“Today I’ve had a very productive meeting with Mr. McCully here,” said Kerry. “I’ve told him that New Zealand is a great country, and that I think it would be in everybody’s best interests if he just did nothing. That’d be a big help.”
Kerry then announced that he had to leave immediately because he had a very important flight to “somewhere.”