IraqGate in Australia: PM denies Iraq proof doctoring

posted by ewing2001 on Sunday June 08, @08:17AM

Wsws.org

Australian prime minister an enthusiastic promoter of the WMD fraud

"...While the spotlight has been focused on the Bush and Blair regimes for their role in weaving the web of lies over Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction”, attention should also be directed to the Howard government in Australia. When it came to promoting bogus threats and circulating outright lies no one was more vociferous than the Australian prime minister.

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The New York Times columnist Paul Krugman recently remarked that “misrepresentation and deception are standard operating procedure” for the Bush administration. The same could equally be said of the Howard government. After a campaign of lies and deception targeting refugees during its re-election campaign in 2001—the Tampa crisis and the so-called “children overboard” affair—the government eagerly joined the Bush administration’s war drive against Iraq, initiated in July-August 2002.

On July 16 last, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer proclaimed that the world should be worried about Iraq’s ability to build a nuclear bomb, as well as its developing chemical and biological weapons capacity. Defence Minister Robert Hill said he was “not surprised” by claims that Iraq was less than three years away from developing a bomb.

“We believe that Saddam Hussein is continuing with his program of weapons of mass destruction and that his program included the desire for a nuclear capability.”

Howard’s first major intervention came on September 16 last year when he claimed that Australian intelligence agencies had identified attempts by the Iraqi regime to procure equipment, material and technology used to make chemical and biological weapons.

There was “no doubt”, he told the parliament, that Iraq had pursued “weapons of mass destruction programs” since 1991 and that “evidence from human and technical sources points to Saddam Hussein having continued or increased his weapons of mass destruction program.”

Howard admits that Australia relied upon evidence from the UK and US.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/National/story_49306.asp

PM denies Iraq proof doctoring

"...Defence Minister Robert Hill said Australia had not been fed manipulated intelligence by the US or UK. "I can't imagine that would occur," Senator Hill told reporters. "We have confidence in our allies and their intelligence agencies."

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