NZ-United Nations Ambitions: Afghanistan, Nuclear Proliferation High On The PM’s Agenda
September 24th, 2009
Before he left for New York this week, the PM disclosed the 71-strong SAS detachment the Govt said would be deployed to Afghanistan had arrived there. This commitment has become even more controversial because of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan particularly as US General Stanley McChrystal is warning the campaign will fail unless he has more combat troops to counter the increasingly dangerous insurgency. Labour’s Phil Goff says the situation is becoming more like Vietnam and NZ should not be fighting a war on behalf of a corrupt and inept regime.
Key will be seeking to gauge the mood of international leaders on how the Afghanistan situation is to be stabilised. He will also be emphasising NZ’s commitment to multilateral action through the UN. With President Obama giving his first address to the UN General Assembly, effectively signaling US re-engagement with the world body, some internationalists believe the UN itself can be revived.
Its role for example in nuclear non-proliferation, needs to be strengthened. Key is attending the special Security Council meeting today chaired by President Obama which is intended to revive the campaign to combat the spread of nuclear weapons ahead of the 2010 review conference of the treaty on non-proliferation. NZ has punched above its weight on anti-nuclear issues, although most of the focus in New York has been on what Obama, Russia’s Dimitri Medvedev and the UK’s Gordon Brown are saying about deep reductions in their nuclear arsensals. NZ has been interested in hosting one of the lead-up preparatory conferences on the NPT.
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Duncan Cotterill