Syria crisis exposes need for reform: PM

Prime Minister John Key. Photo / Getty Images

Prime Minister John Key says New Zealand could put its own resolution before the Security Council on Syria but the risk of Russia vetoing such a move would do more harm than good.

Mr Key was commenting on Foreign Minister Murray McCully's attack on the Security Council's lack of leadership over Syria, delivered at a council meeting in New York this morning.

Mr Key said New Zealand could put a resolution up itself "but as we know those resolutions get vetoed and the veto could do more damage than good."

"We would be reluctant to do that if we thought it would get bowled over. I don't think it would take the process forward."

Mr Key said Syria had again exposed the need for reform, in particular of the veto powers held by the five permanent members - Russia, China, the United States, the United Kingdom and France. "If the Security Council was working the way we wanted it to work the Security Council would be able to act."

Mr Key said it was up to the non-permanent members to put pressure on to limit the circumstances in which the veto could be used. However, he said that was unlikely to happen in New Zealand's two years on the Security Council. "Things move very very slowly at the United Nations." New Zealand campaigned for its seat on the need for reform and wanted the veto power to be limited so it could not be used in cases of genocide and mass atrocities.

Despite that he denied New Zealand and other non-permanent members were effectively powerless. "I don't think you'd say we were powerless but I think what you would say is there is no question that one of our concerns is that there are many cases when the permanent five members are agreeing amongst themselves on the way forward without consultation with the other members.

It is an institution with a lot of failings but I'd hate to think we'd worked so hard to get on the Security Council just to declare the whole thing a failure."

Head of the UNDP Helen Clark would not comment on whether Russia's President Vladimir Putin or the US had the right approach to Syria's Bashar al-Assad, but said a political settlement was needed between the current rulers and their opposition, other than Islamic State. "You need all major powers and regional powers to give that process good will." She said that settlement was needed. "Because the misery of Syria is horrible to see."

Today's Security Council meeting was called by Russia and coincided with the start of air strikes in Syria by Russia which began with little or no notice to other countries involved in Syria.

Mr Key said that seemed to contradict Russian President Vladimir Putin's own call earlier in the week at the General Assembly for a coordinated campaign against Islamic State, including with Syria's regime leader Bashar al-Assad.

Mr Key said it would be better if Russia was conducting its air strikes in coordination with other countries. "There's a real risk here that civilians are caught as collateral damage. If we are going to successfully tackle Isis we'd be better to do that together."

The five permanent members are divided on how to approach the Assad regime in Syria. Russia supports Assad remaining in power and believes he is needed to fight Islamic State. While Britain and the United States have said they would tolerate Assad remaining during a transition of power, France is opposed to cooperating with Assad at all.