KEY POINTS:
What they said about Ahmed Zaoui:
Dr Warren Tucker, head of the SIS: Said Mr Zaoui was 'clearly a risk' when he arrived in New Zealand in 2002.
"I am now satisfied that in 2007 he is no longer considered to be a risk."
Mr Zaoui and his legal team were delighted at the outcome and grateful to Dr Tucker for reviewing the certificate but said Mr Zaoui did not "accept that he has in fact at any time been a danger to the security of New Zealand or any other country".
Prime Minister Helen Clark: "This is an independent statutory decision, as it always is in such matters, and the Director has my full confidence."
Long-time supporter and Green Party MP, Keith Locke: "Ahmed Zaoui's success benefits the civil liberties of all New Zealanders, by making the Government more accountable as to who it labels a 'security threat'."
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters: "He should never have been granted entry into New Zealand in the first place, and withdrawing his security risk certificate has advertised New Zealand once again as the number one soft touch for illegal immigrants."
Amnesty International Executive Director Ced Simpson: "The Ahmed Zaoui case has highlighted the fragility of our commitment as a country to basic human rights."
