EWART:
Prime Minister, thanks for joining us.
PRIME MINISTER:
Pleasure.
EWART:
Now, what was the upshot of today's special security meeting in Canberra?
PRIME MINISTER:
We had a detailed briefing on the progress being made, or lack of it, by the weapons inspectors in Iraq. We talked extensively about that. We also had a report on North Korea and we also had some discussion about contingency planning in the unwelcome event of some kind of military contribution to action against Iraq being necessary. So it was a pretty comprehensive meeting but most of it was about how we thought the weapons inspections would work out. It's obvious that they're not getting a lot of cooperation from Iraq but it's also obvious that there's some time yet. It could be some weeks or even months before we know the ultimate working out of the process but this we do know, that if Iraq were really minded to comply in full then the likelihood of military conflict would be avoided.
EWART:
So what's your bet, is it more likely than not that war will go ahead?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I hope it doesn't but I'm not encouraged by the attitude that Iraq is taking. Unless Iraq changes her approach, unless Iraq becomes more cooperative, then the job is going to get increasingly more difficult for the weapons inspectors. There are already big gaps between what we knew Iraq had and what Iraq has admitted having some years ago and what is being declared by Iraq to the United Nations. And you simply can't ignore those gaps and you can't pretend that they're not there.
EWART:
Could you really blame the public then for thinking at the moment this has all the signs of Australia committing itself to a war with Iraq?
PRIME MINISTER:
I can understand the public being concerned. I am too. But you've got to ask yourself, what is the alternative, you just walk away and pretend the problem's not there, leave a rogue state like Iraq with weapons of mass destruction, run the risk that at some time in the future those weapons might find their way into the hands of terrorists. Now, I'm not prepared to adopt that attitude and difficult though it is and easy though it would be for me to say, look, it will be all right, let's take a punt on it, I'm not willing to do that and I don't think, in the long run, the Australian public is either.
EWART:
So what are the contingency plans, as you put it, for Australia if this war does go ahead, what are we committing?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we haven't committed anything yet because we haven't said that we would be involved in military action and none has been decided by the United States. But if military action were to become necessary then the sort of contribution that Australia would be likely to make would be roughly equivalent to what was in Afghanistan, that is some special forces, FA-18s, not more than a squadron, some ships, there are already two in the Gulf.
EWART:
No ground troops.
PRIME MINISTER:
No, well, not beyond the SAS. I mean, the SAS are special but certainly no light armoured brigade or battalion as some have said. There's been talk about refuel as well - we are not in a position to provide refuellers. It would be a contribution that would be welcome, it would make a significant impact, it would be in areas in which we specialise but it would not compromise, in any way, our capacity to deal with threats closer to home.
EWART:
Mr Howard, why all this very public talk now about war with Iraq when there don't appear to be any new concrete developments before the report is handed to the United Nations on January the 27th concerning weapons inspections?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think there are two reasons. Firstly and the most obvious one is that there's an enormous amount of international coverage and an enormous amount happening at a diplomatic level with the weapons inspectors. It's pretty well the main item on every news, every day. And the other reason, Heather, is I hold to the rather old fashion view and I think it's the right view is that a Prime Minister and the Government should keep the Australian public informed about what they're thinking. I think when you're talking about even a remote possibility of Australian military forces being involved I have an obligation no matter what the time of the year is to talk directly to the Australian public about it. And I make no apology for telling the Australian public what might happen. I don't want it to happen and I promise them I'll try very hard to stop it happening but I do owe them an obligation to keep them informed.
EWART:
So on that point will there be a full and public debate when a decision is made?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh certainly. I will follow exactly the same course of action that Bob Hawke followed back in 1991. The Government takes the decision and if we take a decision to become involved in military action, if Parliament is not sitting then we'll have a special session of Parliament, if it is sitting, well, we'll have a full debate.
EWART:
Is there any question in your mind that a war could go ahead before the report is made to the United Nations on January the 27th, that crucial report everyone's waiting for?
PRIME MINISTER:
I'd be quite astonished. We certainly wouldn't be part of any military action in those circumstances, definitely not.
EWART:
What if the United Nations doesn't sanction war, would we then become involved with perhaps any US led effort?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't think it assists a proper resolution of this issue to start trying to answer those hypothetical questions. We have a UN process in place, we want it to work. It involves a report by the weapons inspectors - and incidentally the report of the 27th of January may not be the final word on the subject - I think we should allow that process to work. I think you probably prejudice a good outcome if you start speculating on what you may or may not do if that process falls to the ground.
EWART:
Mr Howard, thanks for your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
You're welcome.
[Ends]