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No mandate for John Key’s Iraq war

No mandate for John Key’s Iraq war

John Key is dragging New Zealand into someone else’s war without a mandate from New Zealanders, said the Green Party today.

The Prime Minister today announced that his Government would be sending troops to Iraq without taking the matter to Parliament for a vote.

“We’re supposedly going to defend democracy in the Middle East, but the Government has prevented Parliament from voting on the decision. Democracy, it seems, is a military export not for domestic consumption,” said Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman.

“The Government has no mandate to take our country to war. In doing so the Prime Minister is making New Zealand and New Zealanders unnecessary ISIL targets.

“The deployment to Afghanistan was put to a vote in 2001, this deployment should be too.

“We correctly stayed out of the 2003 Iraq war. It is ridiculous that 12 years later we are being dragged into its aftermath.

“Not even the Government’s support partners think going to war is the answer to the situation in Iraq, yet this is what John Key is willing to do to be ‘part of the club’.

“There are safer and more effective contributions New Zealand can make to help fight ISIL.

“The most effective use of our resources is humanitarian aid for the thousands of refugees affected by the war, and diplomatic pressure.

“We should be using our seat on the United Nations Security Council to push for sanctions against nations that continue to supply arms and money to ISIL.

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“This would also be in line with the 2006 UN Counter Terrorism Strategy and will be more effective in achieving lasting peace in the region.

“The Green Party strongly opposes the deployment of troops into a war that cannot be won by military intervention.

“We reject a war where New Zealand lives are needlessly put in danger without the mandate of the New Zealand public and Parliament,” said Dr Norman.

ends

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