The cabinet has delegated authority to a committee of five, authorized to decide Wellington's military commitment on short notice.

The opposition National and Act parties have called on the government to follow Canberra's lead and invoke Clause IV of the ANZUS treaty, which states that an attack against one partner is an attack against all. New Zealand is currently suspended as a treaty partner for refusing entry to nuclear-powered warships.

Green Party Member of Parliament (MP) Keith Locke, while expressing opposition to joining Washington in a military assault, gave backing to the imperialist war drive by calling for intervention in the form of "political and economic pressures" and stating that "war criminals like Slobodan Milosevic are now in the dock. An International Criminal Court is being set up. Nations should cooperate to capture the terrorists and put them on trial."

The Labour-Alliance government has indicated that it will increase funding for spy agencies and step up "intelligence sharing" with Washington. Already, a hotline has been established for people to call the Security Intelligence Service, the govern-ment's main secret police outfit, with any information they have about "international terrorism."

New security measures have been introduced at airports to screen domestic travelers for the first time, as well as international travelers, and military personnel have been stationed at the country's three major airports.

Opposition politicians have reopened the debate about the government's decision to accept 150 Afghani refugees from a boatload of migrants refused entry to Australia, claiming they pose a threat to security because of possible "terrorist" connections and should be turned away.

Referring to the heightened tensions between Canberra and Wellington following the collapse of the Air New Zealand-owned airline Ansett, rightist New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said, "We're insisting upon taking a boatload of Afghani queue jumpers to help out the Aussies, who are in turn boycotting our airline and our products."

National Party spokesperson Lockwood Smith used the events to pressure the Waterfront Workers Union into canceling its plans to go on strike. Citing "a time of great jeopardy to our economy" Smith said the government "should talk to its unionist comrades and tell them to cancel this cynical industrial action. Australia already feels we are letting them down in terms of defense cooperation and airline services. Let's not add maritime trade to that list."  
 
 
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