New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has rejected an informal apology by Israel for the disruption in diplomatic relations caused by the actions of two alleged Israeli spies.
Clark said she has no doubt two men jailed in Auckland on Thursday for conspiring to illegally obtain New Zealand passports are Israeli spies.
After New Zealand retaliated by suspending diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Israel was ”sorry about this matter”.
”It will be dealt with and all will be done to restore Israel’s long history of good relations with New Zealand,” Shalom said.
But Clark, who spoke on national radio, said that Israel should do more.
”The ball is in Israel’s court as to where it wants to move from here. Three months ago we asked for an apology and an explanation. That has not been forthcoming.” Clark said.
She admitted it is possible that Israel will wait until the two men have left New Zealand before an apology is offered.
”That is one possible track,” she said. ”There might be no response until after the two men have served their sentences.”
In remarks carried by Israeli media on Friday, New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff listed requirements that Israel should fulfil to restore relations with Wellington.
The Israeli government must admit responsibility for the alleged espionage by two of its citizens, provide an explanation, apologize and give guarantees that it will not repeat such actions, Goff told the online version of the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz.
The incident has caused major disruption to relations between Israel and New Zealand.
Wellington has announced that approval for a new Israeli ambassador will be delayed, a request for President Moshe Katsav to visit is being declined and the visa-free entry status for Israeli officials has been suspended.
Stuart Grieve, the lawyer for Eli Cara, one of the convicted men, said the New Zealand Government had leaked information to the news media about the men being agents for Mossad, the Israeli secret service.
Goff denied the claim in remarks to New Zealand radio. Cara has claimed he runs a travel agency in Sydney, Australia, but news media investigators have not found any trace of it. — Sapa