Former Labour leader Phil Goff is calling on the Government to support a united effort within the United Nations for sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.
He has just returned from Ramtha, a Jordanian town on the border of Syria which houses a UN transit camp for refugees fleeing the conflict.
Mr Goff was part of a parliamentary group which visited Israel, the occupied territories on the West Bank and Jordan to look at the developments in the Middle East.
He says hundreds of people are being killed by the al-Assad regime while the world stands by powerless to intervene.
Mr Goff says sanctions could include the imposition of no-fly zones or direct action against Mr Assad.
