Estimates Debate — Vote Foreign Affairs and Trade

Last week I moved a motion: “That this House condemn the shooting of peaceful demonstrators in Hama and other Syrian cities and call upon the Syrian Government to enter into a serious national dialogue to chart a transition to democratic government.” I thank the House for passing my motion, because it is so important that people and parliaments around the world support the Syrian people in their hour of need. The people of Syria are so brave, going out on to the streets, week after week, when they know the regime is likely to fire on them.

A victory for the Syrian people, coming on top of the successes in Egypt and Tunisia, would give considerable impetus to democratic struggles across the world. I appreciate that our foreign Minister did give support for the Arab Spring, in a speech last Tuesday. He had been under some criticism previously. One of the placards at the Syrian protest in Auckland that I attended, the Saturday before his speech, read: “NZ Government, your silence is deadly.” Unfortunately in his speech last Tuesday Mr McCully was less optimistic than the Greens about the Arab Spring, talking about the “risks” and possible “dangerous implications for regional security.”, which I think was an allusion by him to unresolved Israel-Palestine issues.

If more and more Arab Governments become democratic—and they will inevitably be more actively pro-Palestinian—this will help to resolve the Arab-Israeli dispute. We will need much more international pressure on Israel for a resolution involving the creation of an independent Palestinian State within the pre-1967 borders. That is a Palestinian State that includes much of the West Bank land currently occupied by Israeli settlers. Mr McCully worries that the probable vote in the UN General Assembly next month, to recognise an independent Palestinian State, may “isolate Israel” and risks making negotiations more difficult.

The Greens say it is not a matter of isolating Israel so much as pushing Israel into serious negotiations with the Palestinians. However, I do commend Mr McCully for not ruling out New Zealand voting for the UN General Assembly resolution for an independent Palestine when it comes up next month. We have to be consistent in our support for democracy in the Middle East, and I am not sure our foreign Minister demonstrates that. He said in his speech that “To Egypt’s east, Shi’a/Sunni tensions were exacerbated, to the point that troops from other GCC”—that is, Gulf Cooperation Council—“countries were sent into Bahrain,”. In fact, what was happening in Bahrain was a huge democratic struggle against a reactionary monarch who might well have been toppled if Saudi troops had not invaded. The Saudi King ordered the invasion because he did not want a democracy on his doorstep. Perhaps the trade opportunities in the Gulf cause our foreign Minister to view the Saudi invasion through rose-tinted spectacles.

On Libya, the Minister also got it wrong. He has supported the NATO assault on Libya, which has only increased political support in Libya for the dictator Gaddafi. Now the rebels seem to be fighting amongst themselves and competing for recognition by NATO. Gaddafi will be deposed eventually, but the NATO assault has only prolonged his departure and increased killing on both sides. The NATO bombing campaign is illegal, in contravention to the UN charter that puts priority on conflict resolution instead of war. The decision to bomb Libya was based on a series of lies: firstly, that a big massacre of civilians was about to take place; secondly, that the Arab League supported the military intervention, whereas in fact in the Arab League only six Gulf dictatorships actually voted for the resolution; and, thirdly, that what was being created was a no-fly zone, when in fact it was all about regime change, which has included attempts to assassinate Gaddafi and his close colleagues and the targeting of a range of civilian Government facilities, including the bombing of the Government’s TV station by NATO. New Zealand should not have supported NATO responding to Gaddafi’s extreme crimes with war crimes of its own.

I stand to speak on Vote Defence. I will start by saying that I think the Minister of Defence, who is retiring at the end of this Parliament, has put an enormous amount of passion and energy into the defence portfolio. It is obviously something that is close to his heart.

💬 Hon Steve Chadwick: I raise a point of order, Mr Chairperson. Just a point of clarification. The member is speaking on defence, but you have not yet called the defence vote.

The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): I was just picking that up. I do not know whether the member was being complimentary to the Minister in the chair as Minister of Defence, and then was going on to foreign affairs and trade.

No, I was not; I am sorry.

The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): That is OK. I call David Shearer, speaking on foreign affairs and trade.

No, defence actually.

The CHAIRPERSON (Lindsay Tisch): The member does not want to speak on that. All right. We will move to the vote.

Vote agreed to.

Vote Official Development Assistance agreed to.

Vote Sport and Recreation agreed to.

Vote Defence