Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today welcomed the appointment of New Zealander Philip Griffiths to Head of Secretariat for the Wassenaar Arrangement – one of four main international export control agreements.

Mr Griffiths is currently serving as New Zealand ambassador and permanent representative in Vienna.

"The appointment is a tribute to Mr Griffiths personally and is further demonstration of the high regard in which New Zealand is held on disarmament and arms control matters," Mr McCully says.

"As one of the co-founding members of the Wassenaar Arrangement and a country firmly committed to international non-proliferation and arms control cooperation, New Zealand is honoured that one of its nationals is taking up this position.”

The Wassenaar Arrangement began in 1996 to promote cooperation on controlling exports of conventional weapons and duel-use goods and technologies.