PM undermining war on terror, says ALP

Labor accused Prime Minister John Howard of undermining the war on terror by his renewed support for pre-emptive strikes.

But Mr Howard stood firm and said his support for pre-emptive strikes in another country proved he had a stronger commitment to protect Australia than Opposition Leader Mark Latham.

The debate came as both Mr Howard and Mr Latham campaigned on national security in Australia’s north.

In Darwin, Mr Howard announced plans for special Australian Federal Police flying squads to help combat terrorism in the region.

The $100 million plan would see two teams of 10 AFP officers deployed to countries in the region, such as Indonesia or the Philippines, to help local police crack down on terrorist activity.

At the same time, two terrorism surveillance teams and two counterintelligence teams would be set up and would be able to deploy to regional countries when needed.

Mr Latham, in Townsville, promised a Labor government would set up a new light infantry battalion for Townsville, and would move the Parachute Battalion Group of 830 - now based in Holsworthy outside Sydney - to the northern Queensland city.

He also promised a new strategic review of Australia’s defence needs in light of the war on terror.

But both sides traded insults about pre-emptive strikes.

Mr Howard said there was nothing wrong with supporting pre-emptive strikes as a last resort while also pushing greater regional cooperation in the fight against terror.

"The point I simply made was that if I believed there were going to be an attack, a terrorist attack on Australia, and there was no alternative but action being taken by Australia, I would unhesitatingly take it to prevent that attack occurring," he told reporters.

"But I don’t believe that is in any way inconsistent with full cooperation with our neighbours."

He said Jemaah Islamiah (JI), the organisation blamed for the Bali bombings, was just as much an enemy to other countries in the region as it was to Australia.

"We make common cause against JI," Mr Howard said.

"We have, therefore, a vested interest in ensuring that JI cannot launch successful attacks either in the region or, worse still, in Australia."

Mr Latham said the government had neglected the region and was more interested in fighting wars on the other side of the world.

"They’ve neglected the region and now, unfortunately, the prime minister has returned to his discredited doctrine of pre-emption," Mr Latham told reporters.

Mr Latham said if a country had threatened the same action against Australia, the whole country would be up in arms.

"This is clumsy foreign policy, high risk foreign policy, undeserving of the Australian government in the circumstances in which we find ourselves," he said.

"This is something that is unworkable and something that will undermine cooperation in the region and actually set back the task of dealing with these terrorists."

Australian Democrats leader Andrew Bartlett said Mr Howard’s policy to support pre-emptive strikes was against the national interest.

"It’s totally against the national interest for the prime minister to be in any way suggesting that pre-emptive strikes should be a consideration in our region," Senator Bartlett told reporters. (AAP)

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/20/1095651244992.html?oneclick=true