New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark today said her government is eager to resume free-trade talks with Malaysia and sees the services sector as a central component of an agreement.

"We're keen to see officials start serious talking again around the free-trade agreement negotiations with Malaysia, particularly focusing on services," Clark said.

New Zealand has a lot to offer Malaysia in areas of biotechnology, education and consultancy services, she added.

Clark said New Zealand has ongoing free-trade discussions with China and, together with Australia, with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) group, of which Malaysia is a member.

She said she did not expect to conclude the bilateral FTA negotiations over the next six to 10 months due to talk in Malaysia of an early general election.

"It may be that you wouldn't get completion before then but we'd like to be in a position for officials who have done a lot of talking to move rapidly after that point, so we're optimistic," Clark said.

Halal meat

She was speaking to reporters after having earlier met with Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi while on an official two-day visit here.

Malaysia is New Zealand's ninth largest trading partner. Close to two-thirds of New Zealand's exports to Malaysia are dairy and other food products.

Malaysia suspended the import of meat from New Zealand in 2005 due to the slaugthering process by abbatoirs which was not approved by religious authorities as halal or permissible under Islam.

State news agency Bernama quoted Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar as saying Clark had expressed hope that the ban will be lifted before the Aidil Fitri festival, which takes place in October.

"The (Malaysian) prime minister said he would look into it and that it should not be any problem," Syed Hamid said.