Former New Zealand prime minister criticises country’s silence on UN chief support letter

Helen Clark, New Zealand's prime minister from 1999 to 2008, has expressed surprise that her country had not signed a letter backing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who she said is facing "severe attack" from the Israeli government "for doing his job".

“A number of countries New Zealand usually aligns with have signed. Is this the result of a hard reset in foreign policy?” Clark questioned in a post on X.

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated on Saturday that he stood by his decision to declare Guterres "persona non grata" for not "unequivocally condemning" Iran's missile attack on Israel.

In the letter, 104 nations voiced their “full support and confidence” in Guterres, adding that Katz’s actions undermined the UN's “ability to carry out its mandate.”