New Zealand Prime Minister John Key is refusing to say whether or not he would give moral support to United States air strikes in Iraq.
Mr Key was in New York holding meetings at the United Nations on Tuesday and would meet US President Barack Obama at the end of the week in Washington DC.
John Key at the 9/11 Memorial in New York. Photo: RNZ / Chris Bramwell
Sunni militants, led by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria fighters, took control of the northern cities of Mosul and Tikrit in a rapid advance last week and Tal Afar on Monday.
They also briefly captured parts of the city of Baquba - just 60km from Baghdad - in an overnight assault before government troops and allied Shia militia pushed them back on Tuesday.
Mr Key said that given that it is a sectarian conflict, it is not something that New Zealand would want to get tied up in. However, he would not dismiss the prospect of offering moral support to unilateral US action in Iraq.
"I think it would be premature to do that, until we have at least a chance to sit down with the president. We are in a unique position in that we happen to be in Washington this week. The president is obviously going to want to talk about those kinds of issues and I think it's worth hearing him out.
"I wouldn't read anything into that. You can see from my comments I've been very cautious about what's happening in Iraq."
However, the Prime Minister said New Zealand would not be putting boots on the ground in Iraq and ruled out sending Special Air Service troops in a training role. However, he said the Government is putting together a proposal to provide some aid for non-government organisations working in Iraq.
While in New York, Mr Key lobbied permanent ambassadors at the UN to support New Zealand's bid for a non-permanent seat in 2015/16. He said he was aware that New Zealand's position on Iraq would be closely watched.
"I think New Zealand's position is always watched. I don't want to overstate that but I think that we are seen as a moderate, sensible, honest country and so a lot of people look at what we do."
UN Development Programme head and former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark said the situation in Iraq was serious and she had evacuated all her staff from the country.
Miss Clark said she believed there was a real danger of a regional crisis.
"What I think is of global concern is that a sectarian conflict is spilling across borders, across Syria, into Iraq, and that can be very, very deadly. A sectarian conflict which fuels a civil war is a very, very ugly thing."
