NEW ZEALAND GREENS WANT AMERICAN CIA TO BE LABELED AS TERRORISTS

PM insists CIA 'not terrorists'

Green plea to label CIA as terrorist organisation is turned down by Prime Minister Helen Clark

7 November 2002

The Prime Minister will not be approving a plea from the Greens to label the world's leading intelligence agency as a terrorist organisation.

Green MP Keith Locke is calling for the CIA to be classified a terrorist group after destroying a car carrying six al Qaeda members in Yemen.

One of them, Al Qaed al-Harithy, was one of Osama bin Laden's key lieutenants.

Mr Locke says if her Government can label Jemaah Islamiah a terrorist organisation, the CIA should also join the list.

But Prime Minister Helen Clark ruled out classifying the CIA as terrorists.

She told Parliament that New Zealand shares a close relationship with the CIA for intelligence