Australian Labor Party Leader opposes Govt's committing troops
March 18 2003
Prime Minister John Howard's move to commit troops to any US-led war against Iraq was unnecessary, reckless and against Australia's national interests, Opposition Leader Simon Crean said today.
Mr Howard asked federal parliament to condemn Iraq and endorse the government's decision to commit Australian troops to any military action, after the United States today gave Iraqi President Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave Iraq.
But Mr Crean said Labor would oppose the motion.
"The prime minister today, in a reckless and unnecessary act, has committed Australia to war," Mr Crean said. "The prime minister had his moment of truth and what did we see? "We saw capitulation and subservience to a phone call from the United States president. "This is a black day for Australia, it's a black day for Australia and it's a black day for international cooperation. "Today diplomacy was ditched and Australia agreed to ditching it. "Today we committed to a war which isn't necessary."
Mr Crean said the Labor Party supported the men and women of the defence forces now on duty in the Middle East and preparing to go to war. He said the country had to learn from the lessons of Vietnam when returning troops were spurned.
"Whilst I will vehemently oppose what the prime minister has committed us to, I will continue to argue against him, I will always support our troops," he said. "Those men and women have no choice but the government of the day did have a choice and it made the wrong call. "It still made the wrong call and it should reverse that call. "Our argument is with the government of the day, it's not and never will be with the troops."
Mr Crean said the prime minister had again failed to outline the reasons why war was necessary against Iraq. He said although Labor supported the disarmament of Iraq, there were other ways of achieving it other than war.
"We do have to understand that these men and women are giving of their lives, prepared to lay them on the line to serve this country in the belief that the government has made that judgment in their interests and based on all of the evidence," he said. "Sadly today none of that evidence is any more forthcoming. "The prime minister has still not made his case in terms of the deployment of our troops. "The decision to go to war is wrong, it's not in our national interest and there is an alternative."
Australian Labor Party Leader opposes Govt's committing troops
March 18 2003
Prime Minister John Howard's move to commit troops to any US-led war against Iraq was unnecessary, reckless and against Australia's national interests, Opposition Leader Simon Crean said today.
Mr Howard asked federal parliament to condemn Iraq and endorse the government's decision to commit Australian troops to any military action, after the United States today gave Iraqi President Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave Iraq.
But Mr Crean said Labor would oppose the motion.
"The prime minister today, in a reckless and unnecessary act, has committed Australia to war," Mr Crean said. "The prime minister had his moment of truth and what did we see? "We saw capitulation and subservience to a phone call from the United States president. "This is a black day for Australia, it's a black day for Australia and it's a black day for international cooperation. "Today diplomacy was ditched and Australia agreed to ditching it. "Today we committed to a war which isn't necessary."
Mr Crean said the Labor Party supported the men and women of the defence forces now on duty in the Middle East and preparing to go to war. He said the country had to learn from the lessons of Vietnam when returning troops were spurned.
"Whilst I will vehemently oppose what the prime minister has committed us to, I will continue to argue against him, I will always support our troops," he said. "Those men and women have no choice but the government of the day did have a choice and it made the wrong call. "It still made the wrong call and it should reverse that call. "Our argument is with the government of the day, it's not and never will be with the troops."
Mr Crean said the prime minister had again failed to outline the reasons why war was necessary against Iraq. He said although Labor supported the disarmament of Iraq, there were other ways of achieving it other than war.
"We do have to understand that these men and women are giving of their lives, prepared to lay them on the line to serve this country in the belief that the government has made that judgment in their interests and based on all of the evidence," he said. "Sadly today none of that evidence is any more forthcoming. "The prime minister has still not made his case in terms of the deployment of our troops. "The decision to go to war is wrong, it's not in our national interest and there is an alternative."
