ISRAELI ENVOY EAGER TO MEET LORDE

WELLINGTON : Israel's ambassador to New Zealand on Wednesday appealed to pop star Lorde to meet him after she she cancelled a show in Tel Aviv following appeals from activists-

For her to shun Israel as a protest against its treatment of Palestinians.

Itzhak Gerberg said, in a public letter, that it was ''regrettable'' the concert had been called off and the boycott of his country represented ''hostility and intolerance''.

''I invite you to meet me to discuss Israel. its achievements and its role as the only democracy in the  Middle East.''

Lorde's representatives did not comment on whether she planned to meet the ambassador.

The 21-year old New Zealand singer was slated to perform in Tel Aviv in June as part of a global tour to promote her second album Melodrama.

''Playing in Tel Aviv would be seen as giving support to the policies of the Israeli government, even if you make no comment on the political situation. We believe that an economic, intellectual and artistic boycott is an effective way of speaking out,'' campaigners Justine Sachs and Nadia Abu-Shanab wrote on news website The Spinoff. Reuters.