PM pledges $3.3m for suffering Iraqis

By AUDREY YOUNG political reporter

New Zealand yesterday pledged $3.3 million for immediate emergency relief for hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who are expected to flee their homes.

But Prime Minister Helen Clark ruled out a call by National to send medical personnel to the combat zone.

"This Government will not be assisting a war for which there was no case at this time," she said during a special statement to Parliament soon after hostilities began.

"Faced with a choice between supporting peaceful and diplomatic means which were working, and war, which cut off that process, this Government made the only rational choice, which is to choose the peaceful means.

"Now that miliary action has commenced, we clearly have concern for the welfare of the Iraqi people. For that reason, the sooner the military action is over, the better."

She wanted the decision-making on the future of Iraq "swiftly brought back into the multilateral arena".

Foreign Minister Phil Goff outlined how the initial support would be distributed.

Mr Goff said relief agencies predicted that up to 1.4 million Iraqis might try to flee the country and require urgent help.

A further two million were expected to leave their homes and stay in Iraq, on top of 1.1 million who were already displaced.

National leader Bill English asked the Government to consider the early deployment particularly of medical resources it had already promised after the war.

He said the United States, Britain and Australia had given a commitment to conduct the war in a way to minimise civilian casualties.

"We leave with them today, our friends, the hope that they will be able to meet those undertakings."

Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons wanted to record "our grief and our anger at the attack on Baghdad which has just begun".

"I fear we are entering a newdark age in international relations which may undo what has been with such difficulty and so tentatively achieved in the past 50 years."

United Future MP Larry Baldock said the prayers of the country were with both the Iraqi people and "the valiant and brave soldiers of the coalition of the willing who are seeking to implement change within Iraq".

Progressive deputy Matt Robson said a "military juggernaut" was descending on Iraq - powers that could not find development money for people in poverty but had an abundance to launch military actions.

A move by the Greens to have MPs stand for a minute's silence was blocked by Act leader Richard Prebble.

Who shares $3.3m

* $1 million to the World Food Programme

* $500,000 to the Red Cross

* $500,000 to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

* $500,000 to the UN children's agency, Unicef

* $300,000 to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs

* $300,000 to the UN de-mining agency, Unmas

* $200,000 to selected non-government organisations in Iraq

Herald Feature: Iraq