New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key Smiles After the General Election in Auckland.
New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key smiles after the general election in Auckland November 26, 2011. Reuters/Stringer

New Zealand's support to the U.S. led coalition in the Middle East to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) will not make it an automatic target of terrorism, Prime Minister John Key has claimed.

Mr Key whose Government was officially sworn last Wednesday for a third term, has been under pressure to finalise the participation in the Middle East mission, reports NZ Herald. However, Mr Key said nothing has been finalised so far, as to what kind of assistance New Zealand should be offering. When a formal request comes, the government will take a suitable decision. He hinted that the government might take a call on the matter, may be, next month.

To Consult All

John Key said he would consult all major political parties before taking a final decision on the matter. Gaining cross-party support will be a priority. The Prime Minister said he would share all the confidential security information and threat perceptions with the political parties and "engage them before decisions are made." He was talking to reporters last Wednesday.

The Prime Minister said he would be addressing the nation in a few weeks time, to explain the seriousness of the situation, reported Herald Sun. Mr Key dismissed all apprehensions that taking part in the Coalition mission in Iraq or Syria, New Zealand would be exposing New Zealand to the risk of terrorism. The PM said the advice he received was that involvement in Iraq would not change the risk profile in New Zealand.

SAS For Ground Battle

On committing New Zealand's elite SAS commandos or any other ground forces -- Mr John Key said he will not rule out anything now. The PM said the perceptions of risk would not deter him from taking hard decisions. He reasoned that if a decision cannot be taken fearing risk, then it amounts to losing the autonomy based on independent foreign policy. It will also look like the country being stopped by the actions of terrorists and not standing up to terror. "That kind of dilution of responsibility New Zealanders will never take. And I don't think Islamic State should be determining the strategies that New Zealand must take," quipped Mr John Key.