Australian has indiscreet moment
Oil a factor in Australian role in Iraq: minister
by Neil Sands 28 minutes ago
SYDNEY (AFP) - Oil is a key factor keeping Australian troops in the
US-led war in Iraq, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said Thursday,
before his boss Prime Minister John Howard sharply contradicted him.
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Nelson’s startling comments caused an immediate stir in Australia,
one of the United States’ few major allies in the increasingly
unpopular war, but Howard quickly backed away from the explosive
contention.
A new defence review had concluded that maintaining “resource
security” in the Middle East was a priority, Nelson said in an
interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“Energy security is extremely important to all nations throughout the
world, and of course, in protecting and securing Australia’s
interests,” he said.
“Obviously the Middle East itself, not only Iraq, but the entire
region is an important supplier of energy, oil in particular, to the
rest of the world.
“Australians and all of us need to think what would happen if there
were a premature withdrawal from Iraq,” Nelson said.
Australia joined the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which was said
to be aimed at eliminating Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass
destruction, which were never found.
Howard remains a very staunch supporter of Washington’s military
campaign in Iraq. Australia’s deployment currently numbers about
1,575 soldiers.
Nelson also said Australia’s main reasons for remaining in Iraq were
to prevent violence driven by Al-Qaeda between the Sunni and Shia
populations and to help key ally the United States combat terrorism
and stabilise the region.
But he contended that safeguarding oil supplies was an important part
of bringing stability.
“For all of those reasons, one of which is energy security, it’s
extremely important that Australia take the view that it’s in our
interests, our security interests, to make sure that we leave the
Middle East, and leave Iraq in particular, in a position of
sustainable security,” he said.
But Howard swung into damage limitation mode later in the day,
strongly denying that either Nelson or he himself had said securing
oil supply was a key factor behind his country’s contentious
involvement in the war in Iraq.
“We’re not there because of oil and we didn’t go there because of
oil, we don’t remain there because of oil,” he told commercial radio.
“Oil is not the reason.”
Treasurer Peter Costello also joined in the denial that Australian
troops were primarily in Iraq to secure oil supplies.
“We’re fighting for something much more important here than oil, this
is about democracy and freedom in the Middle East,” he told reporters.
Howard had earlier told a conference in Canberra that energy demand
was a key reason for helping to develop a stable Middle East.
But he later said it was “stretching it a bit” to conclude that
Australia’s involvement in Iraq was motivated by oil.
He told the conference Australia’s presence in the Middle East was
central to his government’s defence strategy, arguing the country
could not afford to wait for threats to reach its shores before
taking action.
“Many of the key strategic trends I have mentioned — including
terrorism and extremism, challenging demographics, WMD (weapons of
mass destruction) aspirations, energy demand and great-power
competition — converge in the Middle East,” he said.
“Our major ally and our most important economic partners have crucial
interests there.”
The centre-left opposition Labor Party, which wants to withdraw
Australia’s troops from Iraq, accused the government of making
contradictory statements on its reasons for being in Iraq.
“This government simply makes it up as it goes along on Iraq,” Labor
leader Kevin Rudd told reporters.
Howard also ended speculation sparked by a newspaper report that he
could announce an Iraq troop withdrawal ahead of national elections
due this year.
“Despite the dreadful continuing violence and our frustration at the
rate of political progress, the government remains committed to
staying in Iraq with our coalition partners until the Iraqi security
forces no longer require our support,” he said.
“The consequences of western failure and defeat in Iraq are too
serious to allow our policy to be dictated by weariness, frustration
or political convenience.”