PRIME MINISTER:
Well ladies and gentlemen, as you know I visited Iraq today. I went to Baghdad this morning and saw the Prime Minister. I then flew down to Al Muthanna Province to Camp Smitty to visit the Australian Task Force, where I met the Task Force Commander Lieutenant Colonel Noble as well as the ranking British General from Basra, and the ranking American Commander in that area. There was a news conference at the conclusion of my meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister, and of course that is all coming, because of the time and other problems, that footage is only just now becoming available. I will be very happy to talk to you all again in some more detail tomorrow, but it's been a fairly long day, if you have just one or two questions you might like to ask me, I'd be very happy to answer them.
Just before you do, can I say that I found the men and women of the Task Force in extremely good spirits, they are doing their job with great enthusiasm, the area where they are based is very desolate - it's very hot, it's extremely hot, and they are showing remarkable commitment and enthusiasm despite that, and I had a very high opinion of them before and it is even higher now. The entire nation owes them a great deal of gratitude for the fantastic job they've done and from what I have been told by the Iraqi Prime Minister and also by the men and women themselves, that one of the key things that the Australian Task Group has done is to relate very directly with the locals and to form very good associations with local people. The Iraqi Prime Minister remains optimistic about the political process in his country and is determined to press ahead with the schedule for preparing a Constitution and also he is very keen for the inclusion in that process of representatives of the Sunni community, who in the past have felt excluded and by their own decision excluded themselves from the electoral process earlier this year.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister what was the objective of today's visit, why did you need to go?
PRIME MINISTER:
Beg your pardon?
JOURNALIST:
What was the objective of today's visit, why did you need to go?
PRIME MINISTER:
You can't be serious.
JOURNALIST:
I just want to hear you explain it to us.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I wanted to go there to visit the forces and express to them, where they are serving, the thanks of the Australian people. It is the least that I can do as the person responsible for them going there, and the other reason was that I wanted to convey directly to the Iraqi Prime Minister in his capital, in his office, as the democratic Prime Minister of Iraq, the ongoing support of the Australian Government and the Australian people.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, after what you saw today and your briefings, do you share the optimism of the Iraqi Prime Minister that Al Muthanna could be the first province where the Iraqi's themselves look after the security, which of course would mean that foreign troops like our own would no longer be needed?
PRIME MINISTER:
I would say that progress is being made, the Australians, the British Commander and others said that the Iraqi security forces are getting better and stronger as time goes by, that's how I would put it.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, what is you own impression of Baghdad and the time you spent there?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I was there for a brief period, the previous occasion I was in Baghdad I didn't go past the airport or the area immediately adjacent, I went to Camp Victory which was near the airport. On this occasion I took a helicopter into the International Zone, clearly there are still security challenges in Baghdad, I think we all know that. I can't say that I witnessed those first hand because I was in the Green Zone, the International Zone, which is obviously very much more secure than other parts but everyone tells me that the country is varied, there are some parts of the country that have severe security problems and the Sunni Triangle, so-called, does, other parts of the country are relatively free of violence including the south and including the Kurdish dominated north, although there have been incidents there and I wouldn't want anyone to think that there isn't ongoing danger for our own forces.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, in the last hour, or few hours in Australia there have been developments in relation to Sheikh Omran, in which he has admitted to making a mistake, as he put it, in relation to his comments about Osama Bin Laden, namely that only God doesn't make mistakes, also the...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'd have to agree with him on that, yes.
JOURNALIST:
Secondly, the Federation of Islamic Organisation has also called for clerics and so on to talk with moderate and not inflammatory voices, can you tell us what you make of both those developments please?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'd like to know more detail about them but before I comment in detail myself, I would simply say that the overwhelming majority of Australians who are Muslims would reject the sort of statements that that particular person has made. I think they would find those statements as offensive as I do and I am sure most Australians do, the important thing is to say to Australians of Islamic background and Islamic belief, you are part of the community like everybody else. We all together have a responsibility to argue against and reject extremism and there is a particular responsibility on the part of people of influence within individual communities.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, the Iraqi Prime Minister congratulated Australia on its support for Iraq with the reconstruction, is there any suggestion that Australia may have to provide any more support in the future, any extra troops?
PRIME MINISTER:
That was not raised, the Iraqis are very pleased with the support that we have provided and we see the relationship as being something bigger than just the military involvement, important though that is. We also see it involving the commercial associations and the economic relationships. The point I made to him on a couple of occasions was that our goal, our aim and our target in Iraq was to see the country emerge as free, independent, and democratic and running its own affairs without the involvement of foreigners, that's our goal. But along the way, they need our help and we're willing to provide it. One more question, then I am going to have a beer.
JOURNALIST:
Did the Iraqi Prime Minister when he thought his troops could take over?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no he didn't, I think the important thing about this Mark is not to start laying down timetables, the timetables will follow the achievement of progress towards the goals. It has always struck me as absurd to set a timetable before you've established goals, and you're moving towards those goals and we're moving towards those goals, but we still have a long way to go before we can start talking timetables. Thank you very much.
[ends]