Cabinet resists US pressure

By JOHN ARMSTRONG

New Zealand has rejected strong lobbying from the United States over Iraq, officially reaffirming its view that any military action must come under United Nations mandate.

The Cabinet yesterday discussed Iraq at length, at its first meeting of the year.

Despite what the Prime Minister described as Washington's "energetic diplomatic advocacy", Helen Clark and her ministerial colleagues maintained their opposition to the United States and Britain acting alone. Both countries have been pouring troops and weapons into the region.

On Friday, Philip Wall, second-in-charge at the US Embassy in Wellington, confirmed there had been consultations with the New Zealand Government but said Washington had made no specific request for assistance.

After the Cabinet meeting the Prime Minister said the Government did not see any reason to change the stance it had taken since the onset of the crisis, that diplomacy should run its course.

It also believed the UN weapons inspectors must be given more time to do their job.

Assuming no large-scale discovery of weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq continued to co-operate, Helen Clark expected the weapons inspectors would ask for more time.

Next week would be critical, she said, with chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix to deliver a major report to the United Nations on Monday, President George Bush delivering his annual state-of-the-nation address the following day and the UN Security Council reconvening.

Helen Clark believed war was not inevitable despite the build-up of troops.

"The pressure that has been applied in military preparations has not been unhelpful in getting Iraqi compliance to date," she said. "But the New Zealand Government's position is clear: keep pursuing it through the multilateral process."

The Prime Minister believed that the Government's view was in line with New Zealand public opinion.

Herald feature: Iraq