Laban Luamanuvao Winnie: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Laban Luamanuvao Winnie: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:627;Page:21748] 
7.  
LUAMANUVAO WINNIE LABAN (Labour—Mana) 
 to the  
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
: Is the Government prepared to commit combat forces in Iraq if a request is received from the United States Government? 
Hon PHIL GOFF (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade) 
: 
 No. The Government has provided Defence Force personnel to Iraq for a period of 12 months to perform humanitarian and reconstruction tasks and they did that extraordinarily well. We currently have a military officer attached to the United Nations mission in Iraq. However New Zealand did not support the invasion of Iraq and does not intend to provide combat forces for the ongoing conflict. 
Luamanuvao Winnie Laban 
: What suggestions has he received that New Zealand should have provided or should provide combat forces in Iraq? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: I have seen repeated suggestions made by Don Brash that New Zealand should have joined in the invasion of Iraq but I have to say that the only risk of New Zealand combat forces being sent to Iraq in future would be if there was a Brash-led Government which of course the country will be determined to avoid. 
Keith Locke 
: Do not the arguments the Minister has just raised against sending combat troops to what he called the ongoing conflict in Iraq also apply to the unfortunate commitment of New Zealand SAS troops to Afghanistan particularly when the people in Governments of both Iraq and Afghanistan have criticised the United States conduct of the war as violating human rights and in view of the fact that SAS troops in Afghanistan will be essentially serving under United States troops and passing prisoners over to them perhaps to be mistreated in the way we have read about? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: No there is absolutely no parallel. We are in Afghanistan serving with both our special forces and the provincial reconstruction team under a United Nations mandate. We are there because that was a country run by an abysmal regime—the Taliban—that hosted al-Qaeda which launched terrorist attacks around the world. I am proud of what our troops are doing there. Having troops in Afghanistan is supported by almost every country in the world and I am appalled that the member should think otherwise and be an apologist for the regime that was removed from there. 
Luamanuvao Winnie Laban 
: Has he seen other statements that suggest New Zealand might blindly commit its combat forces overseas to please others? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: Yes. I regret to say I have seen a statement of that nature. It was a statement from the former National Party spokesperson on defence Simon Power who suggested that a National Government would join its allies in war without reservation and wheresoever our commitment was called upon. This Government as I said before has not hesitated to commit forces based on this country’s judgment of where it is necessary and appropriate to commit those forces. But it will not commit itself to blindly follow others as Mr Power so naively and ingratiatingly undertook to do. 
Simon Power 
: Which of these two statements made by the Prime Minister does the Minister agree with—her statement of 30 March 2003 on the question of Iraq: “I don’t think that September 11 under a Gore presidency would have had this consequence for Iraq.” or the wording of her apology to President Bush for offence caused which was delivered to the White House by our ambassador in Washington in early April 2003? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: What I most certainly do not agree with are the statements that member made. He ingratiatingly said that the National Party would follow other countries into any war without any judgment on our part. That was an appalling reneging of this country’s independence sovereignty and judgment and it is no wonder he was sacked as an utterly inappropriate defence spokesperson for the National Party. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. It is not uncommon for Ministers when faced with an embarrassing question to choose to get round their obligations to give the House a reasonable answer by addressing it with just anything at all. In the case of Phil Goff it was a bit of a vein-popping scream across the House. The Minister did not address that question and it is very hard to imagine how he could have. He did not even mention the Prime Minister who has clearly caused him so much embarrassment. 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: Having just made my comment about the member’s own comments I can say that the Prime Minister made a statement in the course of a talkback show. She later regarded that statement as inappropriate because it could have been interpreted in a particular way and she therefore apologised for it. She faced up to that. I do not think Mr Power has ever apologised for the appalling statement he made that led Don Brash to sack him even though Don Brash actually agrees with him. 
Ron Mark 
: Does the Minister recall his Prime Minister’s unfortunate statement when Major John McNutt of the SAS was killed whilst training in Kuwait that there was no evidence that the SAS were an effective tool for foreign affairs or for developing foreign policy; and has she not now considered firstly just how that sort of derisory comment was received by Major McNutt’s family and secondly how things have changed when we see that this Government relies oh so heavily on the use of the Special Air Services in extending its foreign policy and influence? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: Firstly no I do not recall the statement. Secondly I attended Major McNutt’s funeral with Jim Anderton and a number of others and paid tribute to him out of respect for his giving of his life—sadly under friendly fire. Lastly both I and the Prime Minister have the utmost respect for the capability and integrity of our SAS forces. 
Ron Mark 
: I seek the leave of the House to table the Prime Minister’s quotes. They were the very first comments out of her mouth before she really thought about what she was saying. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? Yes there is objection.