Locke Keith: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Locke Keith: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:3473] 
1. KEITH LOCKE (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
: In light of the weekend protests by thousands of New Zealanders against the “war talk” of President George W Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair will New Zealand’s United Nations ambassador tell the United Nations tomorrow that New Zealand believes there is no case for war and that the United Nations should not endorse one; if not why not? 
Hon PHIL GOFF (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade) 
: 
 New Zealand’s ambassador to the United Nations will tomorrow reiterate to the open session of the Security Council New Zealand’s position as already outlined to this House last week by the Prime Minister and by me. That position is clear and unequivocal as are the reasons for it. 
Keith Locke 
: Will the Government be expressing support for the French and German proposals which as an alternative to war advance such measures as an increase in the number of UN weapons inspectors backed up by a United Nations peacekeeping force? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: The so-called Franco-German proposal has been circulated as a non-paper. There is some debate between the two countries as to what should be emphasised in it. What I can tell the member is that our position is that useful work is being done by the inspectors at this time. The process should be allowed to continue. We should exhaust all possible alternatives for achieving Iraq’s disarmament before any resort to war is even considered. 
David Benson-Pope 
: What concerns does the Government have with regard to the consequences of military force being applied in Iraq? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: The United Nations of course needs to have the use of force as an ultimate sanction to achieve compliance with its decisions but the reasons that that should only ever be an ultimate sanction should be obvious to everybody in this House. The use of military force involves the loss of lives—possibly tens of thousands of innocent people will be killed—huge destruction to infrastructure and consequent human misery. The use of force can also destabilise the wider region and work against rather than for the objectives of the campaign against terrorism. 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: Will New Zealand’s presentation to the Security Council tomorrow include support for a second Security Council resolution declaring Iraq in material breach of earlier resolutions and giving Saddam Hussein a final chance to fully disarm particularly given the Prime Minister’s statement last week that Secretary of State Colin Powell had presented a case strongly suggesting that Iraq is concealing its weapons of mass destruction? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: It would be premature to express support for any resolution that to the best of my knowledge has as yet not been drafted. There are a number of alternatives that may be considered by the Security Council. New Zealand’s position is to continue to apply maximum pressure to Iraq but to support the use of force only after every other option has been exhausted. We have not yet reached that point. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: Is the Minister prepared to review his Government’s stance and join the coalition of the willing now that our traditional allies Australia the United Kingdom and the United States have been joined by Italy Spain Belgium Portugal and other countries? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: If the implication of the member’s question is that by joining a coalition of the willing we would act outside of a mandate from the United Nations the answer is no. 
Hon Peter Dunne 
: Does the New Zealand Government support the view advanced by President Chirac that no further United Nations Security Council resolution is required and that France would not support one? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: It would be our view if force were to be considered that a second resolution explicitly authorising that would be required. 
Keith Locke 
: Does the Minister agree with the widely expressed view that the Bush administration aims to use a war to gain greater control over Iraq’s oil reserves which are the second largest in the world? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: No. I think that there are many reasons that the United Nations Security Council unanimously decided to pass Resolution 1441. The predominant reason is that we need to see disarmament by Iraq. That is why pressure needs to be brought onto it; to put into place actions that it has resisted taking over the last 12 years.