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The majority of the New Zealanders support sending troops to Iraq for policing and rebuilding duties, but only with United Nations backing, according to a TVNZ poll released Tuesday night.
The One News Colmar Brunton poll taken on Monday night showed 75 percent of those polled supported the idea, with 22 percent opposed to it.
However, 57 percent did not want New Zealand soldiers to go to Iraq without UN backing, with only 37 percent in support.
Prime Minister Helen Clark indicated on Monday New Zealand could have an extensive role to play in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq.
She said United States President George W Bush and Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair had said the United Nations would have a vital role to play, but that role was not yet defined.
Iraq was not secure enough, nearly four weeks after the US-led invasion started, for UN humanitarian agencies to be there, she said.
New Zealand was ready to help with mine clearance, which would likely be among the first to begin, Clark said.
She had previously said New Zealand's participation in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq would depend on UN authorization.
(Xinhua News Agency April 16, 2003)
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