back to old shoe.................................kick the cat..........................nerve gas

Press release

Australia's involvement in attacking Iraq and Saddam Hussein

September 2002

We most definitely wouldn't necessarily follow the US automatically should they decide that that circumstances determine that they will go in to Iraq. Should they ask us for military assistance we will look at this on its merits especially given that Simon and I want the UN to be the body which acts , assuming that if it did act and assuming that the US asked us to assist, which it wouldn't because it wouldn't any longer be the US that was motivating this action, it would be the UN, who is unlikely to ask us to participate, but if they did, we would look to the USA to see what they decide to do and if they decide to participate and they ask us to participate then we would consider having a debate should we be asked to participate by the UN

That said, it is unlikely that we would participate in a war in Iraq given that the UN was in charge and as such should be able to manage without us, especially if the USA did the fighting.

If we are not asked to join the fighting,exactly as is the case in the present circumstances where we may be asked to join the fighting, if there is to be any fighting,there may not be any major need for a debate on the issue, which in any case, under those circumstances, will be a bi-partisan issue.

The Right Honourable

John Howarya