New Zealand will later this week formally outline its stance on Iraq to the United Nations for the first time since UN weapons inspectors made a latest report to the UN Security Council, Prime Minister Helen Clark said Monday.
Speaking at the Parliament, Clark said the country's UN mission head Don MacKay was expected to make a statement, which would be along similar lines to her opening speech to Parliament last week, to the UN Security Council in the open debate in New York on Wednesday.
Clark reiterated the New Zealand government did not back unilateral action against Iraq, which is being threatened by the United States and its allies.
If the Security Council did authorize the use of force against Iraq, New Zealand would consider humanitarian, medical or logistic support, she said.
Clark has been "encouraged" by the latest report of the UN's chief weapons inspector Hans Blix.
Blix told the UN Security Council at the weekend that his team had not found any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
"Provided the inspectors continue to report that there is useful work to be done, we will support them continuing to do that useful work," Clark said.
Meanwhile, Clark said she spoke to Australian Prime Minister John Howard this morning, and he gave her a rundown on his visit to Jakarta, London, Washington, and New York.
Australia is firmly supporting the United States on the Iraq issue. That was "no problem," Clark said, "Our positions are well signaled to each other, and neither is trying to persuade the other from positions that are well thought through by respective governments."
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