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NATO military chief in New Zealand amid Iraq deployment deliberations

Xinhua, February 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

New Zealand's military is hosting the senior commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the government considers military help in the fight against Islamic State insurgents in Iraq.

Vice Chief of the New Zealand Defense Force, Air Vice-Marshal Kevin Short said Wednesday that NATO Military Committee Chairman General Knud Bartels had arrived in the country and would leave on Feb. 21.

"The New Zealand Defense Force enjoys a good relationship with NATO, and I am looking forward to discussing issues of mutual interest with General Bartels," Short said in a statement.

Short and Secretary of Defense Helene Quilter would hold discussions with Bartels on Thursday.

Bartels would also visit defense facilities in Auckland during his visit.

Chief of the New Zealand Defense Force, Lieutenant General Tim Keating is currently in Saudi Arabia attending a meeting of defense chiefs who belong to the coalition against ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) in Iraq.

The meeting was one of a series being held so coalition chiefs of defense could discuss the situation regarding ISIL.

Also on Wednesday, New Zealand Defense Minister Gerry Brownlee held talks in Melbourne with Australian counterpart Kevin Andrews on covering a range of regional and international security issues, including the fight against ISIL.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Dr Ibrahim al-Ja'afari officially requested New Zealand military assistance in the fight against ISIL on a visit to Auckland last week during talks with Brownlee, Foreign Minister Murray McCully and Prime Minister John Key.

McCully said New Zealand would talk with Australia about the possibility of sending training troops to Iraq.

The government announced on Feb. 10 that New Zealand troops had begun contingency training for deployment to Iraq.

Key has repeatedly ruled out New Zealand troops being involved in combat, and said that if troops were sent they would only providing training to Iraqi troops. Endi