Hon Phil Goff
Minister of Defence
Minister of Trade

3 October 2007

Goff questions Key’s judgment on foreign and defence policy

John Key’s explanation that his foreign and defence policy release did not touch on Iraq because “the war in Iraq is over” shows the shallowness and inadequacy of his understanding on foreign and defence policy, Defence Minister Phil Goff said today.

“There is no New Zealander following the news each day who doesn’t understand that that statement is nonsense. Sectarian violence and insurgency violence in Iraq is clearly an ongoing issue with appalling casualty rates continuing among Iraqi civilians and US-led coalition troops,” Mr Goff said.

“There have tragically been 768 coalition deaths since February 2007 and an estimated 3000 civilian Iraqi casualties in the last two months alone.

“What New Zealanders want to know is whether Mr Key is capable of making sound judgments when it comes to committing New Zealand to involvement in international conflicts.

“John Key told journalists in 2003 that he supported sending troops to Iraq and the National Party voted collectively in Parliament the same year in favour of doing so.

“Now he denies what his party and he are on record as saying and doing with respect to that conflict.

“In the policy release yesterday Mr Key is silent on the issue altogether, leaving the electorate unclear and in doubt on what he and the National Party think and what judgment he might exercise in any future situation.

“To suggest that there is no need to clarify the issue because ‘the conflict is over’ is frankly incredible and again raises questions about his judgment.

“Mr Key also declined to answer questions about whether multilateral mandates – that is through the United Nations – are important to any decisions he might take.

“That raises disturbing questions about how he might make decisions on critical issues involving putting the lives of New Zealand defence personnel at risk,” Mr Goff said.

ENDS

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