Mediaboss Marketing

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON

NZ troops in Basra, Southern Iraq, in 2004.

Deploying New Zealand troops to Iraq was decided long ago, and pretending no decision has been made "just isn't honest", Labour says.

Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee yesterday confirmed the defence force had been told it could undertake "special contingency training" for a deployment that could be announced as early as the end of the month.

The contingency training did not mean a deployment to Iraq was imminent, and did not pre-empt a Cabinet decision, Brownlee said.

But Labour defence spokesman Phil Goff said troops had been training for some time.

READ MORE: * NZ troops training for Iraq * US aid worker Kayla Mueller confirmed killed

Brownlee was questioned on troops training in December, after NZ First defence spokesman Ron Mark had reportedly been told by army sources a group earmarked for deployment had been told to prepare to leave between the end of February and the start of March.

A Defence Force spokesman said in December no instruction had been received from the Government to prepare to go to Iraq, but the Defence Force had "made its own determination to prepare troops for a possible deployment to the Middle East".

Goff said Brownlee's claim that the contingency training did not pre-empt any Cabinet decision was not credible.

Read the original here:
NZ Iraq deployment a fait accompli, says Labour