Belittling comments about President Barack Obama and his advisors by the US' top general in Afghanistan will not influence New Zealand's commitment to Afghanistan, Prime Minister John Key says.General Stanley McChrystal, the US and Nato commander in Afgha
Belittling comments about President Barack Obama and his advisors by the US' top general in Afghanistan will not influence New Zealand's commitment to Afghanistan, Prime Minister John Key says.
General Stanley McChrystal, the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, was summoned to Washington to explain after he and his aides were quoted in a Rolling Stone article mocking Mr Obama and his top advisors.
Gen McChrystal has apologised for the article, due to be published on Friday, and offered to resign.
In it Gen McChrystal's aides call one top Obama official a "clown" and another a "wounded animal."
The general himself made belittling remarks about Vice-President Joe Biden and the US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.
Six months ago, Mr Obama backed Gen McChrystal's request for more troops, escalating an unpopular conflict in which costs and casualties are soaring.
Mr Key said ultimately it was an issue between Gen McChrystal and the Obama administration.
Mr Key met Gen McChrystal when he was in Afghanistan a month ago.
"He clearly has a very deep and intimate knowledge of what's going on in Afghanistan, and from our perspective I took confidence from that meeting I had with him."
He said he had not seen the article but the comments would make no difference to New Zealand's commitment in Afghanistan.
Labour leader Phil Goff said the level of attacks had gone up with the surge in troops and that was a concern.
"I think it's a serious matter of disagreement between the president and the commanding officer in the field but the greater matter of concern of New Zealand must be the increased number of attacks on the International Security Assistance Force troops in that theatre and the greater danger that exists there."
Mr Goff said he had always believed the SAS should not have been sent back to Kabul.
