Howard seeks public support as war drums beat louder

By GREG ANSLEY Australia correspondent

CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister John Howard yesterday moved to strengthen public support for his hard line on Iraq, finally agreeing to a parliamentary debate and stepping up pressure on the United Nations to act.

Although still refusing to discuss potential military involvement in a strike against Baghdad, Howard and Defence Minister Robert Hill indicated their belief that war was increasingly likely.

And in a further indication that there is little chance of an early end to existing operations in Afghanistan, Hill said two Orion maritime surveillance aircraft would join anti-terrorism coalition forces there in January.

Australia already has SAS troops in Afghanistan, air-to-air refuelling aircraft in Kyrgyzstan and warships in the Gulf.

Howard's decision to end his former reluctance to debate Iraq in Parliament, and to have Foreign Minister Alexander Downer make a statement to the House of Representatives next week, follows similar moves in Britain and signs of a swing toward the US line by such key Nato partners as France and Spain.

Downer's statement will focus on Baghdad's refusal to comply with UN resolutions on weapons inspections, and will not produce the evidence the Government claims to hold on Iraq's nuclear potential and its chemical and biological arsenals.

Nor will Downer discuss possible US or Australian military action.

Despite these boundaries, it seems Labor may fall in behind Howard, who now strongly advocates UN involvement.

Opposition Leader Simon Crean yesterday criticised the boundaries Howard has set for Downer's statement, but said neither Iraqi links to terrorism nor production of weapons of mass destruction were conditions for Labor to back military action.

They would be triggers if proof could be established for either, but, like Howard, Crean said the UN had to exhaust its processes before other moves were considered.

Australia's focus is now on Iraqi acceptance of UN resolutions and the unfettered access of weapons inspectors, an agreement Canberra believes is unlikely without a change of regime in Baghdad.

"The major goal is to remove the threat that Iraq poses," Howard said.

"Many people think that this is synonymous with a regime change."

Howard and Hill yesterday again expressed serious doubts that Saddam would agree to UN demands for renewed weapons inspections.

Hill suggested war was a real possibility.

"If you ask me on the basis of his record to date am I in any way confident that he will respect the demands of the international community, then I'm not confident of that ... Eventually you run out of alternatives [to war]."

Further reading
Feature: War with Iraq

Iraq links and resources