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| Down Under |
| Beazley tells Howard to counsel Bush |
| 2005-01-29 |
| Australian OPPOSITION Leader Kim Beazley today urged Prime Minister John Howard to become a voice of reason in Australia's relationship with the United States. Mr Howard has leapt to the defence of US President George W. Bush at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. The president is not attending the meeting, and his stance on Iraq has been criticised by many leaders, particularly from Europe. During a debate on US global relations, Mr Howard took issue with the tone of the argument against the war and criticism of Mr Bush's recent inauguration speech in which he did not mention Iraq. Mr Beazley today indicated he would like to see Mr Howard offer the US some firm advice when it was needed - particularly in relation to Iraq. "He needs to be the friend that the Americans need, not just the friend that they want," he said on Channel 7. "They appreciate him, they like the fact that he has stood in behind them during the course of this conflict. "Time's moving on. What the United States now needs is good counsel, and that's what they need from him." Mr Beazley said Australia had not been the ally the US needed either before or after the war. "They desperately needed warning, they desperately needed counsel and patience, and after the war they desperately needed sound advice on how the post-war administration should take place," he said. "None of that came from Australia." Mr Howard rejected the notion that the US had isolated itself in Europe because of its approach in Iraq, but Mr Beazley said the US had some work ahead of it in rebuilding relations with the continent. "The whole world responded to the US position (after September 11)," Mr Beazley said. "Old enemies of the US, Russians, Chinese, all came in behind ... what looked like the US-led fight with fundamentalist terror. "That has frayed over the course of the last two or three years. That is not in the US interest, that is not in our interests. "They are good friends with some European countries ... but the US, if it's going to exercise world leadership, has got to be able to embrace the lot." In Switzerland, Mr Howard backed Mr Bush's invasion of Iraq as opposed to relying on United Nations action, which he said was not always effective. Mr Beazley, however, said Australia and the United States should show some support for the UN. "I think the US and we ought to be proud of the UN," he said. "We played a major role in its creation. "It was one of the institutions of, if you like, liberal democracy that was put in place after World War II. "Why spurn them now? Why humiliate them? Why not just make them better?" |
| Posted by:God Save The World |