US stance on Iraq is not undermining war on terror, says official

3.00pm

The US government's stance on Iraq was not undermining the global war on terror, US Under-Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, John Bolton, said today.

Mr Bolton was speaking after talks with Foreign Minister Phil Goff in Auckland. The meeting was part of a visit by Mr Bolton of several countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

His talks with Mr Goff were essentially an exchange of views on the situation in Iraq and on North Korea's plans to restart its nuclear weapons programme.

Specifics about what commitment the US might expect from New Zealand in relation to Iraq were not canvassed, Mr Bolton said.

He added that a critical phase was being reached in seeing whether Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein "will after 12 years finally fulfill his obligation to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction".

UN inspectors are due to report their findings to the UN Security Council on January 27.

Asked if the tough US stance was undermining the war on terror, he said there was no question that Iraq had been a supporter of international terrorism.

"The risk that Iraq possesses is a serious threat to international peace and security," he told journalists.

"I don't think it is undercutting the war against terrorism to be concerned about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capability.

"I think the elimination of that capability will lead to a more stable world and one where the risk of terrorism in fact diminishes."

Mr Bolton also said he wanted to express his country's gratitude for the role that New Zealand had played in the war against terror after the events of September 11, 2001.

Mr Goff, meanwhile, said the use of force against Iraq could "complicate" the fight against terror, which was New Zealand's primary objective.

He said the US had been remarkably successful after the events of September 11 in building a broad-based coalition that encompassed Islamic and Arab nations.

"We would certainly want to see that breadth of support for the campaign against global terrorism maintained and we would certainly want to minimise the risks of destabilising the Middle East."

He said New Zealand had made it clear that it expected Iraq to comply with Security Council resolutions.

But New Zealand's participation in any conflict involving Iraq would depend on multilateral decision-making, with force seen as the last resort.

- NZPA

Herald feature: Iraq