Australia head slams US candidate
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has claimed US presidential hopeful Barack Obama's stance on Iraq will benefit those seeking to destroy it.
Mr Obama, currently a Democrat senator, said that US troops should withdraw from the troubled nation next year.
Mr Howard said al-Qaeda should be "praying as many times as possible" for an Obama victory in the 2008 elections.
But Mr Obama reacted by saying Australia should increase its troops in Iraq, if Mr Howard was so concerned.
Mr Howard said: "I think he's [Mr Obama] wrong. I think that will just encourage those who want to completely destabilize and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and a victory for the terrorists to hang on and hope for an Obama victory.
"If I were running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory not only for Obama but also for the Democrats."
Mr Howard, who himself faces elections this year, said any withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by March 2008 - the date Mr Obama believes should be set - would mean defeat for Washington.
He said that defeat for the US would end hopes for peace in the Palestinian Territories and cause widespread destabilisation in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Mr Obama will contest the Democrat presidential nomination
Mr Obama, who has described the Iraq war as "tragic", said he was "flattered" by Mr Howard's statement.
He said: "I think it's flattering that one of George Bush's allies on the other side of the world started attacking me the day after I announced.
"I would also note that we have close to 140,000 troops on the ground now, and my understanding is Mr Howard has deployed 1,400, so if he is (ready) to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq."
He added: "Otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric."
Australia's opposition Labor party said Mr Howard's statement imperilled the relationship the country might have with a future Democratic administration.
Printed
version
Send
to a friend!
Archived on
OpEd
Back
