BONGIORNO:
Thanks for joining us Prime Minister. 48 hours to war, is there any likelihood Saddam Hussein will heed George Bush's ultimatum and get out of Iraq?
PRIME MINISTER:
It doesn't seem likely. Perhaps if all members of the Security Council had joined the President in saying that, perhaps he would have.
BONGIORNO:
So the ultimatum in a sense is really giving notice to non-combatants and other workers, including the inspectors to get out of Iraq.
PRIME MINISTER:
It's also a last expression of hope that maybe he will, but I don't think that's likely but it's the right thing to do and it certainly does give other people an opportunity of getting out and that is the right thing to do as well.
BONGIORNO:
Do you hope the nation will unite behind our troops and behind what our Government is doing at least?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I ask them all to unite behind our troops, if they've got a complaint, complain to me, I'm the person and my Government's the people responsible for the decision. But don't take any of it out on our troops. They're serving the Government of the day which is their duty and all of us, whatever our views are should get behind them. As far as the Government's decision is concerned I ask people to understand that we've tried hard for another alternative, in the long run you can't allow a country like Iraq to hold on to chemical and biological weapons, others will do the same and the more that have them the more likely they are to get into the hands of terrorists.
BONGIORNO:
Today George Bush assured Americans that extra measures were being taken to upgrade their security in ports, airports and cities. We'd have to be more of a target ourselves now wouldn't we and what extra measures do we need to take?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Paul we've already taken a lot of extra measures, we haven't received any specific intelligence advice suggesting that there has to be a further upgrade of terror alert as a result of Iraq. If we do well obviously we will make the appropriate response. Australia was a terrorist target long before we were seen as potentially involved in Iraq. Remember that the one occasion on which bin Laden has specifically fingered Australia, it was because of what we did in East Timor which on every poll 80 to 90 per cent of the Australian community strongly supported. So I think we've got to keep the terrorist thing in perspective.
BONGIORNO:
Mr Howard, thank you.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
[ends]