Iraq renews Australia threat over bodyguard killing

BAGHDAD - Iraq's trade minister has repeated a threat to reconsider trade deals with wheat supplier Australia unless it reopens an inquiry into the killing of one of his bodyguards by Australian soldiers.

Australia's defence force chief said last week that a military inquiry had cleared the soldiers of any wrongdoing.

Two people, including a bodyguard of Iraqi Trade Minister Abdul Falah al-Sudany, were killed and several wounded when Australian security forces in Baghdad shot at their car as it approached their convoy on June 21.

Sudany's spokesman, Mohammed Hanoun, said the minister was "not satisfied" with the results and was unhappy with the failure of Australian investigators to talk to any of those wounded in the incident to get their accounts of what happened.

"He said he will reconsider the trade relationship if the Australian government does not agree to talk to the wounded," Hanoun said.

"We have informed the ambassador on this today," he added.

Sudany had previously threatened to suspend future wheat contracts with Australia unless the government apologised for the incident, but Prime Minister John Howard has said he would not apologise if Australians were not to blame.

The Australian inquiry found the soldiers acted properly, believing the car contained insurgents and was weaving through traffic in a way similar to the tactics used by car bombers.

Australia, a staunch US ally, was one of the first nations to join the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003, and still has about 1500 troops in and around Iraq, including forces providing security for diplomats in Baghdad.

Iraq has been a major buyer of Australian wheat and Australia and the United States have been in fierce competition for contracts with Iraq since 2003.

Australia has said it had received no formal notification that its trade with Iraq would be affected by the shooting incident.

- REUTERS