E&OE...............................................
MILNE:
Prime Minister, welcome. Mr Howard, how does it feel to be sending
young Australians to war?
PRIME MINISTER:
A very difficult decision. I am conscious of the enormous responsibility
but I have got a responsibility to the longer term security of this
country and we owe it to that security to make a contribution to
deny to Saddam Hussein the capacity to deliver weapons of mass destruction
against neighbouring countries in the Middle East and also to say
to other countries that might want to do the same thing, that you
won't be able to do it. And unless we do that the world in
the 21st Century is going to be a far unsafer place, not only for
the people of the Middle East, but also for the people of Australia.
So that is why we have taken the decision, but in doing so, I am
desperately conscious that the ultimate burden and the ultimate
responsibility is carried by those young men who will go overseas
as part of that force.
MILNE:
Well there will be many mothers and fathers of servicemen out there
tonight who will be worried. As a father, how would you feel if
it was your son that had to go?
PRIME MINISTER:
I would feel all of the pain and the anguish. I would understand
all of the anxiety and I identify with them but you have a responsibility,
in my position, to address an issue like this and to take the right
decision. And the people we contemplate sending are highly trained,
the most superbly, professionally trained and ready part of our
fighting force and whose whole training right up to now has been
towards, perhaps, this kind of activity. And, in that sense, their
exposure is less than poorly trained people.
MILNE:
You spoke to President Clinton this afternoon, what did he say to
you?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well he expressed his great gratitude to Australia. He expressed
the hope that this issue could still be settled by peaceful means.
We both hold that, we both claim that it is still possible for Saddam
to be persuaded into backing down so that we are spared the necessity
of a military strike.
MILNE:
This international alliance has far fewer countries than in the
Gulf War in 1991. Are we sticking our neck out?
PRIME MINISTER:
No we are not and it is to early to belittle the number of countries.
The number participating will grow, I'm sure of that. You have
got to bear in mind that in 1991 there was a much longer lead time.
So there was greater opportunities.
MILNE:
Canada is now on board?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it is a matter for Canada to decide but I am hopeful Canada
will be on board.
MILNE:
Who will command our men over there?
PRIME MINISTER:
They'll have a national commander, national officer in charge
and Australia will be in direct charge of our forces base. They
will be part of the overall theatre command of the Americans. That
is always the case in something like this but they will operate
under Australian rules of engagement and it will be part of the
understanding that those rules of engagement must be respected and
observed at all times by the American theatre commander.
MILNE:
And we'll have ultimate control over those rules of engagement?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we determine the rules of engagement. When Australian forces
go abroad there are rules of engagement agreed to by the Government.
MILNE:
The SAS, their real expertise is fighting behind enemy lines, will
they be on the ground in Iraq?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the purpose of deploying them is, if that's what ultimately
happens and it's the sort of option that we are discussing
at the present time, is for search and rescue purposes.
MILNE:
On the ground in Iraq?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well search and rescue purposes can mean a number of things. I don't
want to start speculating as to precisely what they all mean but
they are highly trained personnel. They have a great reputation.
And the purpose is for search and rescue.
MILNE:
Prime Minister, thank you.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
[Ends]