11. United Nations Security Council—Resolution Criticising Israel Cabinet ApprovalRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Minister of Foreign AffairsUnited Nations Security Council—Resolution Criticising Israel Cabinet ApprovalRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Given the importance of this issue I would seek to have this question deferred until the Minister is able to answer it.Mr SPEAKER: The member is seeking leave to defer this question to an alternative day. Is there any objection to that happening? There is objection. [Interruption] Order! [Interruption] Order! Now there are interjections coming from both sides that are not helpful. I invite the member now to ask question No. 11.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Supplementary question—Mr SPEAKER: No no—we need the primary question.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Sorry—yes. Well I was going to put another alternative.11. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Does he stand by all his statements; if so why?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister of Defence) on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Yes in the context they were made and when accurately reported.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If the Cabinet Manual requires that any international proposal including denunciation" must go before Cabinet can he confirm that Cabinet expressly approved his "spirit of unanimity" in which the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2334 criticising Israel?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I would like to answer on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs but I did not hear the middle part of that question.Mr SPEAKER: Then we will have it again and we will have it without interruption from anybody.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If the Cabinet Manual requires that any international proposal including "denunciation" must go before Cabinet can he confirm that Cabinet expressly approved his "spirit of unanimity" in which the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2334 criticising Israel?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: New Zealand's position on that resolution was as has been previously determined by this and other Governments.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked a specific question and I never got an answer to it.Mr SPEAKER: I am going to ask the member to ask the question again. There is quite a lot that does not need to be in the question but ask it as the member wants.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If the Cabinet Manual requires that any international proposal including "denunciation" must go before Cabinet can he confirm that Cabinet expressly approved his "spirit of unanimity" in which the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2334 criticising Israel; in short did it go to Cabinet?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: We disagree with the questioner's interpretation of "denunciation".Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This question asks in the abbreviated form in which you asked me to give it "Did a paper go to Cabinet?" It is that simple and he will not answer me.Mr SPEAKER: No no. The difficulty is that you have got a very general primary question that was asked. I refer the member to Speaker's rulings 191/3-4. The member is now getting into something quite specific. We have had two goes at it. I think that on the second occasion the Minister has addressed the question. I invite the member to proceed with his line of supplementary questions and I will give him one additional supplementary question.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If "denunciation" was the roadblock in his answer has he seen Cabinet Manual paragraph 5.73 which specifically refers to denunciation of an international treaty of agreement?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I am not an expert on the Cabinet Manual. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Thank you Mr Hipkins.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Or anything. If he consulted with the Prime Minister and/or the Secretary of the Cabinet prior to New Zealand co-sponsoring United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 what response did he get from the Prime Minister or the Secretary of the Cabinet on the resolution?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I think the member is trying to make something out of something that is not really the case. The first point I would make—and I have made it before—is that there was nothing in that resolution that New Zealand had not previously supported or had not been determined by Government; therefore there was not the necessity for the discussion that he seems to think should have taken place.Rt Hon Winston Peters: What information briefings or papers did the Cabinet external relations and defence committee specifically receive from him prior to UN Security Council Resolution 2334; will he table them?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Across all of the activities of foreign affairs there are numerous papers that are referred to that select committee. I am sure that that select committee will make its own determination about what papers it releases.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This House is not the select committee. It is much bigger than a select committee and he is saying now that if you are at the select committee he may do it but if it is the House he will not answer the question.Mr SPEAKER: I think he meant a Cabinet committee. We will hear from the Hon Gerry Brownlee.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: My apologies Mr Speaker. I am not being clever about it—I am having a little difficulty understanding or hearing in fact all of the words in the questions being asked.Mr SPEAKER: Then the easy way forward is to ask the member to ask that question again.Rt Hon Winston Peters: What information briefings or papers did the Cabinet external relations and defence committee specifically receive from him prior to UN Security Council Resolution 2334; will he table them?Mr SPEAKER: There are two questions there. The Minister can address one or both.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: The Cabinet external relations and defence committee has received many many papers from the Minister of Foreign Affairs over the last 8 years.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Will he release all Cabinet minutes briefings diary notes and aides-mémoire including from Government officials relating to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334; if not why not?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I am sure that if there was an Official Information Act request made there would be an appropriate release.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. There was such an Official Information Act request made and the person requesting it was told: "We can't give it to you and we may never give it to you."Mr SPEAKER: Order! That is not a point of order. That is a matter for debate."