PM greets NZ troops back from Iraq

10.30am

Prime Minister Helen Clark welcomed home about 60 New Zealand troops last night as they touched down at Ohakea air base after six months helping to rebuild Iraq.

The 61 army engineers and support staff were the second rotation of New Zealand troops deployed to the southern Iraq city of Basra since September last year.

The engineers were part of a "humanitarian and reconstruction mission" based at the British camp, Fortress Lines.

Helen Clark, Defence Minister Mark Burton and Vice Chief of Defence Force, Air Vice Marshal David Bamfield as well as the engineers' families and friends were all on hand to greet them home.

Mr Burton told NZPA the soldiers' plane touched down at Ohakea about 7.30pm on Saturday.

Once they were on the tarmac army staff greeted the group with a haka, which they responded to in kind.

There were then emotional reunions with family and friends before a brief formal address.

Helen Clark said the group had done good work in often difficult conditions, which included several mortar attacks on their base.

"Working alongside British forces, New Zealand's Light Engineer Group has contributed to over 40 projects to restore key infrastructure, including the repair and refurbishment of hospitals, health clinics, schools, police stations, law courts, and ... government buildings," she said in a statement.

"Our personnel have also rebuilt bridges and water pipelines, worked to restore electric reticulation systems, and constructed supply reverse osmosis water plants that are bringing clean water to over 200,000 people for the first time in a generation."

The contingent's commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ants Howie said an uprising in the middle of August prevented the multinational forces from getting out of their base and kept the New Zealanders from completing their reconstruction missions.

"It was very dangerous. There were a lot of groups out there looking for targets."

It was a major disappointment not being able to finish some of their projects, particularly the rebuilding of the accident and emergency ward at the Basra Teaching Hospital, he said.

"In the end we got the civilian contractor who was assisting us to complete that... we had wanted to get out and do some more work and finish it ourselves but we were unable to," Lt Col Howie said.

"It was a disappointing way to finish. It was beyond our control."

However, he said they were pleased and satisfied they did as much as they could before they packed up and left on September 13.

Helen Clark said no further deployments to Iraq were being considered, but New Zealand would consider formal requests from the United Nations for assistance at its Iraq headquarters.

- NZPA

Herald Feature: Iraq