Brash reluctant to send troops overseas

National leader Don Brash says he would be reluctant to send New Zealand troops overseas at all - even on peacekeeping missions.

The comment follows claims from Labour that a National Government would have joined the US-led war in Iraq.

It comes as Prime Minister Helen Clark rules out fighting troops ever being sent to Iraq under a Labour-led Government.

The Prime Minister was responding to a new Herald on Sunday-DigiPoll which shows 39.8 per cent of voters do not believe a National-led Government would send troops to Iraq, while only 35.2 per cent believe they would. The poll of 1000 voters had a margin of error of 3.1 per cent. "The split result shows New Zealanders are probably confused because of National's inability to give a straight answer on the issue," Helen Clark said.

But in National's campaign opening broadcast, Dr Brash rebutted suggestions he was a warmonger. "I, as some people know, registered as a conscientious objector when I was 18, and was a member of the New Zealand Peace Foundation for years."

"I will send New Zealand troops very reluctantly to any place, peacekeeping or into battle. But I don't want to rule out the possibility that that might be required at some future date in the defence of the things New Zealand holds dear."

Labour has been circulating campaign material highlighting a quote from Dr Brash from October 2003 saying he "would have done what President Bush did" over Iraq.

Dr Brash said he could not conceive of any circumstances under which National would commit combat troops to Iraq.

However, he could not categorically rule out the possibility, comparing it to Labour's decision to send combat troops to Afghanistan, which would have seemed highly unlikely before the 1999 election but was "an appropriate commitment from New Zealand to the war on terror".

- HERALD ON SUNDAY