**ISTANBUL**
Cook Islands Premier Mark Brown said Thursday that he is open to reworking ties with New Zealand if a new pact makes the islands "more independent," according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Brown clarified that he was not seeking to change constitutional arrangements. But he stressed that if New Zealand wants a new agreement, it should take into account the increased independence of the Cook Islands in recent decades and should not "wind back the clock" to the colonial era.
Tensions between New Zealand and the Cook Islands emerged after Brown visited China in February, where he signed several deals, including a five-year agreement for seabed mineral exploration and research.
“It may be that some of the documents that were signed all those years ago, it may be a matter now for reviewing those documents in light of the fact the Cook Islands is now a much more independent country than it was in 1965,” said Brown.
The prime minister also denied the implication that a new pact could mirror the Falepili Union between Australia and Tuvalu, which he described as "quite a sacrifice of its sovereignty" for Tuvalu.
The union gives Australia veto power over Tuvalu's security agreements with other partners.
"If there's anything, I would see a review of our arrangement which recognizes the fact that the Cook Islands, not only is it one of the first countries to achieve high-income status in the region, but it's one that is well-respected within the region for being able to have its own voice (and) a country that does make its own choices," he said.
New Zealand Foreign Minister spokesperson Winston Peters noted that the Cook Islands is free to pursue full independence, but the decision should be made by the people, not politicians.
Supporting the Cook Islands' push for a "more independent" pact, the New Zealand Foreign Ministry noted on its website: "The Cook Islands has an international legal personality and conducts its own international relations, including establishing diplomatic relationships with many countries."
Samoa was the first Pacific nation to achieve independence from New Zealand in 1962.
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