There's no "D-Day" around the Iraq deployment and it won't go ahead until satisfactory legal protections for the soldiers have been secured, reports Radio New Zealand.
Chief of the Defence Force, Tim Keating. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
The Government is to send a 143-strong deployment to train Iraqi soldiers in Taji, north of Baghdad.
Chief of Defence Force Tim Keating appeared before Parliament's Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade committee this yesterday, where he faced questions about the deployment.
During the hearing, he told MPs the standard the Defence Force would like to aim for is a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
Talking to reporters afterwards, he said using official passports was “one of the strong options” for the deployment.
“If there was a SOFA we'd go under military ID cards - the difference between a diplomatic passport and an official passport, the immunities are basically the same, one is traditionally more used for diplomatic functions.”
Lieutenant General Keating said the deployment would not go ahead until the arrangements for legal protections and immunities were settled.
When he made the announcement last month, Prime Minister John Key said that would likely happen in May.
“But if I go to the Prime Minister and say look, I think my people need more training, or the immunities aren't in place, the Prime Minister's open,” Keating said.
“There isn't a D-Day here if you like.”