Australia’s withdrawal from Iraq to be a political disaster: Powell

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that it would be a political disaster if Australian troops were taken out of Iraq.

Powell was echoing US President George W Bush’s criticism on Australian Labor Party leader Mark Latham’s policy that Australian troops would withdraw from Iraq by Christmas if Labor wins the federal election later this year.

Latham’s call for an early troops withdrawal from Iraq came at a time when the US-led coalition forces faced repeated terrorist attacks and harsh criticism for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by the US troops.

But the Australian government has insisted that the troops would only be withdrawn when the job is done.

"It would be disastrous for Australia to say, ’Well, we see this international consensus, we see this new resolution but we are going to head for the door’," Powell told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

"I don’t think that’s the Australia that I have known and respected for so many decades."

Powell turned down the sayings that a possible Australian withdrawal could harm the Australia-US alliance, saying "Australia will always be a close friend of the US."

"We have fought together in every conflict that has come along for the last century and we value the friendship that we enjoy with Australian leaders and with the Australian people," he said.

Powell also said the United States would always have discussions with whoever the prime minister of Australia is and would always respect the decision of the Australian people as to
how they would be led or policies their leader would pursue.

Australia, a staunch ally of the United States in the Iraq war, still keeps more than 850 military personnel in and around the war-torn Middle East country. Enditem (Xinhuanet)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-06/13/content_1523255.htm