Funerals come before Forum

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key may skip attending the Pacific Islands Forum next week, if the event clashes with the funerals of three soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

The Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) soldiers – Lance Corporal Jacinda Baker, 26, Corporal Luke Tamatea, 31, and Private Richard Harris, 21 – were killed instantly when a bomb exploded under their Humvee in Bamyan province on Sunday (Saturday Cook Islands time).

Their bodies will be flown to Australia by the Australian Defence Force before arriving back in New Zealand, probably on Thursday (Cook Islands time).

Key is due to fly to the Pacific Islands Forum in Rarotonga on Tuesday (Cook Islands time) next week, but says he could miss it to attend the soldiers’ funerals.

”I’ll be going to the funeral. If that means I don’t go to the Forum, then I don’t go to the Forum. But it’s highly likely that the memorial services will be held before I leave for the forum,“ Key told media.

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton is expected to attend the forum, and Key says if he attends, it’s likely he will discuss Afghanistan with her and other leaders.

Key missed the funerals of Lance Corporal Pralli Durrer and Lance Corporal Rory Malone two weeks ago to fly to the United States, where his son, Max, was competing with the New Zealand under-17s All Stars baseball team.

He said he had to make a ”very, very difficult decision“ to continue with his planned US trip.

”I’ve got to let somebody down, but my son makes huge sacrifices for me and my job and, in the final analysis, I’ve just decided it’s probably the right thing to do – to go and support him,“ he said at the time.