Hon Murray McCully
National Party Foreign Affairs Spokesman

28 October 2005

Speak up, Mr Peters

National Party Foreign Affairs spokesman Murray McCully has urged Labour's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, to condemn the call by the President of Iran for the destruction of Israel.

"President Ahmadinejad's call to have Israel 'wiped off the map', has drawn widespread international condemnation, but so far there has been nothing but total silence from the New Zealand Government," says Mr McCully.

"I call on Mr Peters to join the spokespeople for other governments in condemning, on behalf of all New Zealanders, this inflammatory statement from Iran.

"I sincerely hope that Mr Peters's silence on this matter is not the result of pressure from Helen Clark, or caused by a need to wait for her permission before making any statement as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

"I also trust that Mr Peters is not under pressure from his predecessor, Mr Goff, who, when visiting Israel, passed up a meeting with Prime Minister Sharon in favour of a photo opportunity holding hands with the late President Arafat," says Mr McCully.

ENDS

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