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| Iraq-Jordan | ||
| Aussie PM won't negotiate with terrorists on hostage release | ||
| 2005-05-02 | ||
SYDNEY- Australia's leader said on Monday he would not bow to kidnappers' demands for the country to withdraw troops from Iraq despite a videotape showing an Australian man appealing at gunpoint for US-led forces to leave the violence-ravaged Arab country.
"Everybody knows the position of the Australian government in relation to hostage demands," Prime Minister John Howard told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "We can't have the foreign policy of this country dictated by terrorists." Wood's wife, Pearl, told The Associated Press she had seen the tape and that the man being held was definitely her husband. She said he had worked in Iraq as an engineer for about a year and a half. In the tape, Wood said he did not want to die and appealed to US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Howard to pull their soldiers out of Iraq and leave the country to Howard said Monday that Australia had established a special task force to try to secure Wood's release, but would not elaborate on what actions it might take. He said under no circumstances would Australia negotiate with terrorists. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the task force, made up of federal police and officials from the foreign and defense ministries, would head to Iraq as soon as possible to begin working for Wood's release.
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| Posted by:Steve White |