Prime Minister orders boost for risky Iraq and Afghan missions

By KEVIN TAYLOR

New Zealand is making a big increase in its military commitment to aid reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The move has brought accusations that the Government is currying favour with the United States.

Prime Minister Helen Clark announced the decision to send up to 160 Defence Force staff to the two countries, but warned yesterday that the missions would be risky, citing a terrorist attack in Afghanistan at the weekend that killed German peacekeepers.

The Government plans to:

* Send an engineering group of up to 60 troops to southern Iraq to work with the British for up to a year on water purification, construction and electrical and plumbing work.

* Lead or contribute to a provincial reconstruction team of between 50 and 100 people in Afghanistan for up to a year.

* Pay $1 million to finish repairs on the war-damaged Iraqi Agriculture Ministry building in Baghdad, and offer Iraqis agricultural scholarships and training.

National Party leader Bill English claimed Helen Clark was currying favour with Washington and trying to restore goodwill.

"The problem is that it's hard to credibly offer an olive branch when the tree has been chopped down," he said.

The US took a dim view of Helen Clark's comments early this year that the Iraqi invasion would not have happened if Democrat Al Gore had been US President instead of George W. Bush.

Questioned yesterday about pleasing the US, Helen Clark said: "This is 100 per cent about New Zealand being a good international citizen.

"Of course these actions will also be seen in a very positive light by others who happen to think these are important causes."

The troops will go to Iraq and Afghanistan in about three months. Total cost of the assistance will be between $38 million and $42 million.

In April, the Government said up to 15 New Zealand troops would go to Iraq to help the UN clear mines.

It has already contributed to Afghanistan under Operation Enduring Freedom.

Helen Clark said a Security Council resolution last month made it clear the UN should play a vital role in relief and reconstruction in Iraq.

The resolution was important because it made a distinction between occupying powers and those going to work on reconstruction.

"It's quite clear that New Zealand - like Canada, like Norway, like any number of other countries which didn't participate in the war - can now participate ... without being considered an occupying power," she said.

Defence Force staff arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday to assess how New Zealand could best contribute to a reconstruction team.

Background papers said the teams would face similar conditions in Afghanistan to those peacekeepers experienced in the former Yugoslavia and East Timor.

But the Afghan team would focus more on reconstruction, community development and political stability than shows of military strength.

Helen Clark did not rule out sending Special Air Service troops back to Afghanistan, where they served last year, but said conditions in the country did not warrant their return.

Another frigate might also be sent to Enduring Freedom's operation in the Gulf of Oman, she said.

The frigate Te Mana returns from the area this month.

The Green Party criticised the prospect of soldiers serving in Iraq under British and US command. "It would be much better to build on the good work in Iraq we are already doing in the UN-run de-mining programme and through the Red Cross," said spokesman Keith Locke.

He also said New Zealand was currying favour with the US by committing more troops to Afghanistan.

"The provincial reconstruction teams we'll be a part of are presented as community-builders, but they are really just an adjunct to American units."

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Phil Goff said a group of officials would visit the Solomon Islands to examine whether to send armed forces there to restore law and order.

Defence, police and Foreign Affairs staff leave today to join an Australian group assessing the situation.

Herald Feature: Iraq