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| Down Under |
| Latham to be briefed on any terror threat |
| 2004-08-31 |
| PRIME Minister John Howard today said he would brief Opposition Leader Mark Latham and tell the Australian people if any terror threat emerged during the election campaign. But Mr Howard said there was nothing to brief on so far . He said he did not want to be accused of in some way seeking to use possible threats of a terror attack for political advantage. "What I promise the Australian people is two things. Firstly if there is any hard information that they should have, I will make it available and I will communicate it at the same time to the Leader of the Opposition," he said. "If necessary I will talk to him in the caretaker period so that he is apprised of it as I am." Mr Howard said secondly, there was no information to justify any change. He said he noted comments last night by former White House counter-terrorism adviser Richard Clarke who said the Australian election campaign was at more risk of an al-Qaeda terrorist attack than the United States presidential election. Mr Clarke, an adviser to four presidents, said Mr Latham's pledge to bring Australian troops home from Iraq by Christmas meant there were differences in policy between the two sides of politics which al-Qaeda could seek to exploit. Mr Howard said it was a sensitive and difficult issue. "I don't want to be accused of in any way using that in the course of the election campaign," he said. But Mr Howard did say he regarded Mr Clarke's comments on Australia's limited commitment to the Iraq war as offensive. "I did regard that as insulting," he said. Mr Howard said he was not aware if his own personal security precautions had been lifted. "Not that I am aware of. You never know," he said. "I haven't been advised that there is a particular additional risk. I am not conscious of having any more people." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 Well, this puts Clarke right up there with Jesse, Fatso Moore and all the other opportunistic lefties of the world who will say and do anything.... |
| Posted by: Jack is Back 2004-08-31 10:31:41 AM |