Australian premier: U.S. more important than U.N. for our security

The Star Online ^ | Sunday, February 16, 2003 | AP

[11th_VA]

SYDNEY, Australia: Prime Minister John Howard said Sunday Australia's security alliance with the United States was strategically more important than that with the United Nations in shaping security and foreign policy.

In an interview broadcast Sunday, Howard said he was unmoved by Friday's U.N. Security Council meeting where weapons inspectors gave a relatively favorable accounting of Iraq's recent cooperation.

"It's not more time that's needed, it's a change in attitude,'' Howard told Australia's Channel 7 TV during a stop in Jakarta, where he met with Indonesia's president Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Howard said he was convinced by U.S. and British intelligence reports he'd seen during his visits this week to both London and Washington.

"These things often change at the last minute,'' he said, adding that he remained committed to a peaceful solution. "Peace is a possible outcome if the world community speaks with one voice.''

"But I know that if the world community walks away from this issue, we could well have to confront it in a few years time at an infinitely greater cost.''

Howard also reiterated his commitment to following the United States' lead and called the security alliance between the two countries, "the ultimate guarantee'' in security.

"I have a great respect for the U.N. but I'm unwilling to utterly sublet Australia's foreign and security policy to the U.N.,'' he said.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Australians marched in cities this weekend to protest a possible war in Iraq.

"I don't know that you can measure public opinion just by the number of people who turn up to demonstrations,'' Howard said. "This is not something where you read each opinion poll or you measure the number of people at demonstrations.''

Also Sunday, Australia's defense force chief said Australian troops would have the right to refuse to follow U.S. military orders, citing concerns that they would be ordered to fire on civilians.

Gen. Peter Cosgrove said Saddam Hussein was likely to position his forces behind civilians, using them as human shields.

But he said he would personally support any soldier who refused to fire on a non-military target, the Sun Herald newspaper reported. - AP

[11th_VA]

Nice to hear some rational thinking from a world leader ...

[Reagan is King]

Bravo!

[TLBSHOW]

This guy gets it, the UN is dead as far as I am concerned!

[Consort]

[Husker24]

Well, he knows the "UN" isnt going to send any troops, ships, or aircraft carriors to Austrailia if the Chinese attack, but we will.

[OneLoyalAmerican]

Greetings, 11th_VA, FReepers, et al;
Awesome! Another world leader with their feet firmly planted upon reality.

[goodnesswins]

THIS is the NEW United Nations....

WHO has joined the ALLIES FOR LIBERTY & FREEDOM?

THESE ARE the 27 ALLIES for IRAQI people’s (women & children included) FREEDOM

U.S., Britian, Australia, Spain, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Lithuania

Slovakia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Quatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Albania, Kuwait, Israel, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Macedonia, Croatia, and Japan

FREE the IRAQI people!!!

	What OTHER countries want the IRAQI citizens FREEDOM?
goodnesswins, with technical assistance from abner

[TheyConvictedOglethorpe]

Well how about that -- a head of state who's actually showing leadership. Compare and contrast with wankers like Chirac and Schroeder, to whom "leadership" means watching which way the crowd is going and getting in front of it.

[Natural Law]

My father was a wounded GI in the care of the Aussies in the Pacific in WWII. Until the day he died he would stand for the playing of Waltzing Mathilda. The Aussies, like the Brits, share a common clutural bond with the Yanks. God Bless them.

[neutrino]

Australian premier: U.S. more important than U.N. for our security

Something certain other countries might wish to keep in mind!

[Consort]

[The Great Satan]

Australian premier: U.S. more important than U.N. for our security

We can't just rely on Kofi Annan to protect us?

[cynicom]

Australia has only to look north, to see about 4 billion people looking for some place to go.

[JoeSixPack1]

But he said he would personally support any soldier who refused to fire on a non-military target, the Sun Herald newspaper reported.

The above sentence is politics for civilians. General military rules require legal orders to be followed and illegal ones not to be. It's the way things work. Grandstanding works only for politicians.

[Defender2]

Thank You, Prime Minister Howard of Australia!!!!:-)

[InspiredPath1]

Well, what do ya know ....

If we look down under, we find balls.

[RightWhale]

We can't just rely on Kofi Annan to protect us?

Can't you hear it in Kofi Annan's voice these days? He is truly annoyed with the debate at the UN. He knows the UN will do nothing to save anyone, not in the ME, not in Africa, not in Korea.

Also, Saddam's voice lately sounds like a condemned man's. He won't run, but he is going to go down with a rifle in his hands. Bon voyage. That's French.

[F16Fighter]

"We can't just rely on Kofi Annan to protect us?"

LOL...Please forgive the Aussies for trusting Uncle Sam over Uncle Kofi.

[F.J. Mitchell]

But firing through idiots at a legitimate target should be perfectly acceptible to rational people. Only cowardly punks hide behind human shields, voluntary or otherwise.

[prairiebreeze]

God Bless Australia and PM Howard. He and Blair are showing the world what a leader truly is. So is Bush. Kudos to both of them Along with the other 30+ countries we have backing us.

Prairie