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UN approval not needed, says Australian PM
AUSTRALIA may declare war on Saddam Hussein without United Nations approval, Prime Minister John Howard warned yesterday.He said Australia could join the US in an attack on Baghdad even if the UN failed to ratify a military solution. Mr Howard defended US President George W. Bush, saying he was not a warmonger. "I don't get the impression Bush wants a war. I don't. I talk to him - I don't think he wants war," the PM said. "I think he feels he has an obligation to deal with a difficult problem and not take the easy way out." Amen! Speaking after farewelling 350 troops aboard HMAS Kanimbla, Mr Howard also said Australia's policy on Iraq did not include removing Saddam from power. Australia's imperative was to dismantle weapons of mass destruction. "Our policy does not include regime change," Mr Howard said. "I think if there were military conflict, then regime change would be likely. But that's not a central policy objective. "Our central policy objective is the removal of those weapons and the message that will send to other countries that might want to do the same thing." Mr Howard said it was unlikely the UN would deliver a clear directive when weapons inspectors complete their preliminary report on January 27. "I think what the UN says is influential, but at the end of the day what the UN ends up saying could well be ambiguous - no red light, no green light," he said. "And we could therefore, out of that ambiguity, have to make a national judgment. "I think you could well have a situation where you could read the UN's assessment either way or several ways." The PM said he decided to send troops now to give them time to prepare for war and to mount pressure on Saddam to hand over weapons of mass destruction. "The most powerful argument for what we are doing, and what the world community is doing, is to stop states like Iraq having weapons - biological, chemical and potentially nuclear weapons," he said. "Because if we don't make sure Iraq disarms, not only will she keep them and add to them and potentially use them, but other countries will copy what Iraq has done." Mr Howard said he shuddered at the thought of war. "The idea of military conflict fills me with horror," he said. "I don't like military conflict at all." Mr Howard said NATO's attack on Serbian troops in Kosovo showed that UN approval was not a necessity for Allied troops to begin a military attack. "Look at Kosovo. There was no UN resolution on Kosovo," he said. "I don't remember too many people at the time saying that's outrageous. I don't remember it. "I'm not saying Kosovo is a model for what might happen here. I'm not suggesting that. I'm using that as illustration that people who look for a black and white outcome from the UN could be mistaken. "In the end we could have a grey outcome from the UN and you then have to make a judgment on merits." Outstanding evaluation of the problem. Thank you, Mr. Howard Posted by: Steve 2003-01-23 |
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