E&OE...............................................
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, what message will you be giving the Australian troops?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, there are some things that I would like to say directly to
them and not say to anybody else. I know that they will go with
the total goodwill, the prayers and the hopes of all Australians.
I remain hopeful that this dispute can be settled without military
force. Nobody wants military force to be used. The decision as to
whether military force is used lies in the hands of Saddam Hussein
and the Iraqi leadership. Even at this eleventh hour, I hope that
they see the commonsense and they see it in the interests of their
own people that they pull back and recognise that nothing is to
be gained and a lot is to be lost and, perhaps, the lives of innocent
people in the process.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I hope that every opportunity, including that, is explored.
We have to be realistic. We have to continue working to achieve
a peaceful solution. In the end, if that is not possible, then we're
left with no alternative. And I hope that is a message that will
ultimately get through to the Iraqi leadership.
JOURNALIST:
By this stage you must be even more conscious of the possibility
of Australian casualties in the Gulf. How do you feel about that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I have thought a great deal about everything surrounding
this. And, naturally, the safety of Australian servicemen is the
thing upper most in my mind. You always have a sense of dread when
something such as this comes about. And we must all hope and pray,
firstly, that a peaceful settlement is possible and that if it is
not, that our own men return safely to their families.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, do you have [inaudible] confidence in Richard Butler?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, he's employed by UNSCOM. He's not employed by the
Australian Government. I don't know that I'm required
to give certificates in relation to people employed by others. But
I have no reason to criticise the job that he's done on this.
My understanding is that he brings a great deal of professionalism
to the job.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, will the terms of engagement authorise Australian
troops to operate on Iraqi soil?
PRIME MINISTER:
I'm not going to talk about the terms of engagement at present.
The decision that's been taken so far is merely to deploy.
If it becomes necessary to take a further decision to authorise
combat participation then the rules of engagement will be involved
in that. It's just not appropriate for me, now, to talk about
rules of engagement. It may not be appropriate to talk about them
in the future. Let's hope that it doesn't become necessary.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
I'm sorry, I didn't hear that.
JOURNALIST:
Are there signs of any other countries to join...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think what's happened over the past few days is you've
seen a significant build-up including, in particular, New Zealand.
And when you throw in the availability of bases and other facilities
you are starting to see a much stronger international coalition
being put together.
Thank you.
[Ends]