Son of former Iraqi diplomat defends father

Omar Zuhair al-Omar, the son of former Iraqi diplomat Zohair Mohammad al-Omar, answers the door to reporters yesterday. Picture / Fotopress

The son of the former Iraqi diplomat who has been told to leave New Zealand says his father is being treated unfairly as he was not first appointed by Saddam Hussein's brutal regime.

Zukhair Mohammed al-Omar has had his visitor's permit revoked because the Government says he should never have been let into the country as he had been a spokesman for Saddam Hussein's repressive regime.

Yesterday off-shore processing of "high-risk" visa applications was frozen after New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters revealed former Iraq Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Minister Amer Mahdi Al-Khashali -- also known as Amer Mahdi Saleh Khashaly -- was living in New Zealand.

The disclosure has embarrassed the Government which had already moved to revoke the visitor's visa of the former Iraqi ambassador to Cuba and Bangladesh believing he was the man Mr Peters was referring to when he raised the matter last week.

Mr al-Omar's son, Omar Zukhair al-Omar, told National Radio today the action against his father was "unfair" as he been a diplomat since 1964 so had not been appointed by the Hussein regime.

He had served in many countries and had police clearances from those countries. He also had a police clearance from the current government in Iraq "proving that he hasn't committed any crimes", the son said.

Those had been provided to the New Zealand Immigration Service when he applied for permanent residency.

His father had been "completely open" with the immigration officials and was "definitely not" on any list of wanted Iraqis.

Early today, the Herald confirmed that al-Omar was serving in South Africa as Iraq's ambassador just as the US-led coalition declared war on Iraq.

Isaac Mogotsi, South African director of Foreign Affairs for the Middle East, told the Herald that al-Omar had "certainly [also] served as Iraq's ambassador to Cuba" and had "sought asylum in New Zealand".

In an April 2003 interview in the South African Sunday Times, al-Omar defended Saddam and said suicide bombers were a "justifiable" means of fighting coalition forces invading Iraq.

"Are we sending any suicide bombers outside our country? No, we are defending our country. You have people ready to fight for their motherland. What's wrong with that?"

He was certain that Iraq would prevail. "By the will of God, those aggressors must go back to their countries. Defeated."

Al-Omar declared his past on immigration forms when he entered New Zealand, but this was overlooked by officials.

His son said al-Omar had applied for his visitor's visa in Bangkok but had applied for permanent residence in Auckland under the family reunion scheme.

He would probably go back to Baghdad "because he's not wanted" in New Zealand.

"I feel very sad because it's really unfair. I am his only son and he's an old man and he just wants to spend some time with me."

There was no family in Baghdad. The former diplomat had a daughter who lived in Malaysia.

The son, who has New Zealand-born children, said he wanted the Minister of Immigration to let his father stay here.

- NZPA and NZ Herald