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Speaker 1: A lot of back and forth over the weekend as

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Speaker 1: our relationship with the Cook Islands looks increasingly messy. Doesn't

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Speaker 1: at their pms in China, of course, to sign some

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Speaker 1: sort of cooperation deal. Our Foreign Minister ropable that he

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Speaker 1: wasn't in the loop. The Cook's leader of the opposition,

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Speaker 1: Tina Brown, is with us. Very good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Good morning.

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Speaker 1: How much disquiet is there?

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Speaker 2: Oh, the country is reacting in a way that I've

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Speaker 2: never seen before. And you know, we we thought that

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Speaker 2: things worth calming down, but actually they're not. That they're escalating.

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Speaker 2: The most recent release from the spokesperson for the Deputy

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Speaker 2: Prime ministerself in New Zealand is completely different to the

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Speaker 2: release by our Prime minister on Friday.

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Speaker 1: Is it possible mister Brown will come back from China

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Speaker 1: in a couple of days with the deal that everyone

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Speaker 1: looks at and goes, my word, that's good news and

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Speaker 1: it all settles down.

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Speaker 2: Well, it is possible, but I have to say that

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Speaker 2: I'm not not showing that to us before signing it up.

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Speaker 2: Must be a concern. It is very possible that will

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Speaker 2: come back and and everything in there is what he

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Speaker 2: says it is, but it's also very possible that it

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Speaker 2: isn't and of course we can't unravel it.

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Speaker 1: Then what's the argument? What's the suspicion around him not

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Speaker 1: giving details before he goes well?

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Speaker 2: I can only conclude that if it was okay, well

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Speaker 2: why not consult? Why not share it with New Zealand?

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Speaker 2: Why not consult with New Zealand if it's okay? There

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Speaker 2: are a few of us that are There are two

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Speaker 2: other lawyers in Parliament, myself and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

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Speaker 2: What's wrong and sharing so that we can all participate

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Speaker 2: in something that he reckons is going to be beneficial

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Speaker 2: to our public in the future. So what's wrong with

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Speaker 2: doing that? Right?

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Speaker 1: I'm sure you've got the diplomacy side of it. Is

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Speaker 1: there an anti China thing in this at all? Locally

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Speaker 1: in the in the cooks or not?

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Speaker 2: There is some looking at the way that China is

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Speaker 2: performing in other Pacific islands like and Solomon. I think

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Speaker 2: there is some fear that we would end up in

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Speaker 2: the same boat.

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Speaker 1: So it's not to do with defense, he reassures us.

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Speaker 1: We assume we take him at his word. If it's

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Speaker 1: just about aid and help and money, is that necessarily

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Speaker 1: a bad thing.

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Speaker 2: Well, no, it's not, but it's it's I think one

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Speaker 2: needs to also have a look at the implications of

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Speaker 2: what happens then with having that as a starter, Uh,

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Speaker 2: and then it grows into something else.

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Speaker 1: When did you back?

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Speaker 2: I think he's still back on Friday for Parliament next Monday.

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Speaker 1: Okay, we'll stay in touch. Appreciate tinner. Go well Tina Brown,

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Speaker 1: who's the Cook Islands leader of the opposition. For more

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Speaker 1: from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks.

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