Australia's Labour Party opposition has pledged greater engagement with Southeast Asia in the war on terror in a new defence strategy aimed at mending relations with the United States. It has also made Kim Beazley its defence spokesman in a move calculated to repair the party's relationship with Washington, which has been damaged by Labour's pledge to withdraw troops from Iraq if it wins elections this year. Nicknamed "Bomber" Beazley for his days as a strident defence minister from 1984 to 1990, he is a personal friend of US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
Neil James, executive director of the Australian Defence Association, a think tank, predicted Beazley would bring a more thorough defence policy. "It (Beazley) will be very comforting news for the Americans and for many Australians," James told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio Tuesday. Labour Party Leader Mark Latham detailed Monday a national security policy that would look beyond the 53-year-old United States-Australia defence alliance in the war on terror. Ahead of the polls, Labour is keen to undermine Prime Minister John Howard's advantage of close relations with the United States and a national security track record forged in his response to the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida attacks on Washington and New York. "Australia must engage more effectively with Asia," Latham said in a speech to the Institute of International Affairs in Sydney. "In the past, Labour governments were able to shape the pattern of regional arrangements ... the Howard government has moved in a different direction."
| So the Aussie Left understands that it can't go it alone. Interesting revelation. |
Latham said that while he maintained his pledge to withdraw troops from the Middle East, he would not recall all 850 Australian military personnel based in and around Iraq. Latham said Labour would support Iraq by sending customs, health and protective staff to help with post-war reconstruction. He also said a Labour government would offer 20 to 30 non-combat personnel to support the protection of the United Nations mission in Iraq. Latham said Labour supported the continued deployment of Australian navy ships to protect Iraq's oil platforms in the Persian Gulf, and the deployment of Australia's Orion aircraft. He said those deployments predated the war on Iraq and were an important contribution in the war on terrorism. But Howard accused Latham Tuesday of backpedalling on Iraq. "Mr. Latham has to admit that his original commitment to bring the troops home by Christmas was a terrible mistake," he told Sydney radio station 2GB. |