PM's war stance criticised as Parliament debates terrorism bill

11.45am

Prime Minister Helen Clark did more damage to New Zealand with her comments over the United States presidency than any suicide bomber ever could, New Zealand First MP Dail Jones said today.

Mr Jones was speaking in Parliament during the first reading of the Counter Terrorism Bill.

"I would suggest that the statements made by the right honourable Prime Minister...that a Gore presidency in the United States would have a different consequence for Iraq...is more dangerous to New Zealand in a terrorist sense than would be a suicide bomber," Mr Jones said.

"We have damaged New Zealand's international standing...In that verbal academic smart alec sense, the Prime Minister has been more damaging to New Zealand than any suicide bomber."

Opposition parties criticised Helen Clark in Parliament for saying at the weekend the US would not have gone to war with Iraq if Al Gore had been elected president instead of George W Bush, and that the war was not going to plan.

Her remarks have been picked up by Arabic media.

Mr Jones said today New Zealand had to watch what it said and not legislate away its problems.

Helen Clark earlier told reporters she was not concerned about the impact of her opinions.

"If stating the very obvious is getting offside, then people are simply too sensitive," she said.

The Counter Terrorism Bill would add to the Terrorism Suppression Act passed in October and was the final step in adopting the last of 12 United Nations conventions aimed at fighting terrorism, Justice Minister Phil Goff said.

It will give police and customs officers more powers to fight terrorism, including enabling police to use tracking devices, and will allow evidence found in the investigation of one crime to be used in the prosecution of another.

Although all the other parties, except the Greens, supported the passing the first reading of the bill today, they too used the debate to criticise the Government's stance on the US-led war in Iraq and the damage it could do to any free trade agreement with the US.

The United States embassy described Helen Clark's comments on the war in Iraq and the US presidency as "regrettable", the New Zealand Herald reported today.

National MP Wayne Mapp said in Parliament the Government had left New Zealand's friends and allies to defeat the sources of terrorism.

"The bill sits in a context, and that context is about states working together to defeat terrorism, and New Zealand at this stage has opted out."

The point of the bill was to support the relationships and conventions New Zealand had with other countries, Dr Mapp said.

ACT leader Richard Prebble said the bill had serious civil liberties issues such as a clause allowing customs officers to seize property including cash, bearer bonds and travellers cheques. Customs did not have to return the property until directed to by the Prime Minister.

"Do we really want to pass a law that say that the Prime Minister of New Zealand can hold and detain cash taken from citizens?"

The Greens also raised civil liberty issues, with spokesman Keith Locke calling the bill fraudulent.

New laws in the bill would extend police powers with no special reference to terrorism, he said.

"This new...bill confirms our fear that protesters are more of a likely target of such legislation than terrorists."

Among the new terrorist offences, (and penalties) will be:

* infecting animals with disease (10 years' jail);

* contamination of food, crops, water or other products intended for human consumption (10 years);

* threatening or communicating information about harm to persons or property, including hoax calls (seven years);

* harbouring or concealing terrorists (seven years); and

* terrorism will be an aggravating factor for sentencing purposes under the Sentencing Act 2002.

Under the legislation, only a District or High Court judge could issue a warrant to authorise use of tracking devices, and would first have to be satisfied it was required to obtain evidence of the commission of an offence.

Warrants could be issued for up to 60 days, but could be renewed for "further specific periods".

The bill also includes clauses designed to cover anthrax threats after a spate of hoaxes since the September 11 attacks in the US.

The bill will make illegal the possession of plastic explosives and nuclear material, punishable by a 10-year jail sentence or $500,000 fine.

The bill was passed, 110 in favour, nine against. It was referred to the foreign affairs, defence and trade select committee, which is expected to report back by July 31.

- NZPA

Herald Feature: Iraq war