John Key before the election:
Key rules out sending troops to Iraq
Prime Minister John Key has ruled out New Zealand military intervention in Iraq, barring an unlikely United Nations Security Council mission
Today, on the 100th anniversary of the departure of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force to fight in WWI, it seems clear that Key has, without any kind of due process, broken that promise. From the Herald:
Public misled on US talks: Goff
…Labour’s Phil Goff says Mr Key himself was misleading the public by insisting that New Zealand Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Tim Keating was attending a “regular” meeting of defence chiefs – where Islamic State was the only item on the agenda.
The meeting of military chiefs from various countries, including General Keating, at Andrews Air Force Base was addressed by US President Barack Obama. …
International media billed it as a meeting of the anti-Isis coalition and an official report from the US Department of Defence described it as a meeting “to co-ordinate strategies in the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists”.
In other coverage:
The Defence Force revealed that military leaders from various countries do not meet regularly and admitted that it was not just a “normal” meeting. It was the first time a meeting with high-ranking military officials from different countries was conducted after a coalition was formed to fight the extremist group.
Security analyst Paul Buchanan said that the presence of New Zealand’s defence chief in the meeting with Mr Obama strongly suggests that the country will join the campaign against ISIS. He said if it was only a negotiation for a possible role, a diplomat would have been sent instead. Since the head of New Zealand’s military forces was sent to the meeting, it may mean the government has “already agreed to some role.”
Key is lying to us again, though the Herald is, as usual, willing to believe anything to defend his brand, with the piece quoted above beginning:
Prime Minister John Key appears to have been misinformed by the Defence Force about the nature of a Washington meeting of the United States-led coalition to defeat Islamic State.
Ahhh – so it’s the Defence Force deciding to go to war without informing the PM then is it? Pull the other one Granny.
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress