Murray McCully: UN seat doesn't mean Iraq action

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says winning a seat on the United Nations Security Council does not mean New Zealand is committed to military action in Iraq.

New Zealand won a seat on the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years this week.

Mr McCully told TV3's The Nation this morning that there was no link between fighting Isis and winning the seat."There is no relationship between these two things... No-one here has pressed me before today for an answer on what we are going to do in relation to Iraq.

"Countries were good enough to vote for us... Based on what they thought we could do on the Security Council - not on the resources they thought we could bring to any one problem or conflict.

"Mr McCully told the programme he accepted he was critical of the Security Council in his recent speech.

Three weeks ago Mr McCully addressed the United Nations General Assembly, in a bid to secure New Zealand a place on the United Nations Security Council.

In his speech Mr McCully said he believed the problems of the Middle East were "deep and difficult" and said the UN must fundamentally improve its performance in preventing conflict.

"In Syria and Iraq we see the truly frightening consequences when leadership, both internally and in the Security Council, has failed," Mr McCully said in his speech.

Mr McCully told The Nation that the sentiments he was expressing in his speech, were in line with the mood of many countries. "I think a lot of countries voted for us identifying with those criticisms and hoping that we would at least make an honest attempt to improve things," he told The Nation.

"I don't think there is one silver bullet here, I think there are lots of small things that need to be done to improve the way the Security Council works."