Parliament pays tribute to fallen soldier

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Parliament has paid tribute to the decorated soldier killed after his patrol came under attack in Afghanistan.

Acting Prime Minister Gerry Brownlee said Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell was a respected leader who had shown bravery during his service in East Timor and Afghanistan.

"This death is a stark reminder that the risks our military personnel face every day are considerable. The men and women who serve so bravely for us in Afghanistan are people we can all be immensely proud of. They are working to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan and in Bamiyan, they are rebuilding a province that suffered badly under the Taliban.

"Today, New Zealand lost a brave young man who paid with his life a very high price indeed. He'll be mourned by his family his friends, his mates in the provincial reconstruction team, the wider defence force family and all New Zealanders who value and respect the commitment of Defence Force personnel who work in this country's best interests."

Mr Brownlee said Lieutenant O'Donnell had shown bravery and leadership in East Timor, where he led a platoon that came under attack while protecting a large group of civilians from political rivals during a riot, and had shown the same qualities during his service in Afghanistan.

Labour leader Phil Goff said Lieutenant O'Donnell had served in the Defence Force with "courage and distinction" and had died for his country.

Greens co-leader Metiria Turei said Lieutenant O'Donnell had been part of a "laudable" effort to help rebuild Afghanistan and his death would be devastating for his family.

"Especially when it means losing someone so young and in the prime of their life, selflessly working in a community that has been devastated by war and terror."

Act leader Rodney Hide said Lieutenant O'Donnell was a "true hero" who had died in the "most tragic of circumstances".

"Too often in the modern world, we ordinary citizens living our lives in relative safety forget the role that soldiers play in defending our borders and in preserving our way of life. Lieutenant O'Donnell has made the ultimate sacrifice for our country."

Progressives leader Jim Anderton said Lieutenant O'Donnell had died on a mission to bring peace to an area torn by war.

"Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell represents our desire as New Zealanders to make the world a safer place, to be good global citizens, to help people in some of the toughest and most violent places on the globe. Today we salute a brave New Zealander, a global citizen, a young man who was prepared to pay the ultimate sacrifice in his attempt to make the world a better place. His was a life cut tragically short, but a life well-lived, with honour.''

United Future leader Peter Dunne said Lieutenant O'Donnell had marked himself out as a man of service and duty, and his life had been tragically cut short.

American Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has offered his "deepest condolences" to the New Zealand government and people over the death of a New Zealand soldier in Afghanistan.

Speaking after a meeting with Defence Minister Wayne Mapp in Wellington today, Dr Campbell said the United States was grateful to New Zealand for the commitment made by its soldiers, "in a very challenging set of circumstances", and recognised it was a difficult period for New Zealand.

"We really mourn the loss." 

Dr Campbell, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, flies out of Wellington later today for Vanuatu and a meeting of the Pacific Forum.

In a sign of the growing warmth in relations with the world superpower, the forum is expected to be the venue for the first of a regular series of tri-lateral talks between New Zealand, the United States and Australia. In Wellington, Dr Campbell met Dr Mapp and Labour leader Phil Goff.

New Zealand's ongoing commitment to Afghanistan and a timetable for troop withdrawal was discussed but Dr Campbell said today that it would be "inappropriate"  to "get into a discussion about the political circumstances" of New Zealand's presence in Afghanistan.

"The most important thing today is to register our sadness ... I will say that the United States and countries that are part of the coalition have been deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve with New Zealand in a very challenging set of circumstances inside the country. We in the United States have [had] our own challenges in recent months as we have seen."

While there had been some discussion on timetables, "we talked most of the time about the loss and other issues that the United States and New Zealand are working on together".

- © Fairfax NZ News