Agreement has been reached with the United States that Australia will
contribute a unit from the Special Air Services Regiment and two Boeing
707s for transport/air-to-air refuelling to support the international
coalition against Iraq being formed in the Persian Gulf.
The National Security Committee of Cabinet has this afternoon approved
the deployment of these ADF elements to the Gulf. The contingent will
depart tomorrow in order to prepare themselves for participation in
coalition military operations should that prove necessary.
Discussions are continuing on the possibility also of providing specialists
for back up in medical and technical support roles.
The Government continues to hope that force will not be needed. We
strongly support diplomatic efforts to persuade Iraq to comply fully
with UN Security Council resolutions requiring it to dismantle its
chemical and biological weapons programmes and allow inspections.
There is still time for Iraq to reconsider.
The decision to deploy the contingent is not a decision to commit
our forces to active operations. Such a decision would be made only
if it became clear that resort to force remained the only option.
The decision to deploy now has been made to ensure that our contingent
has the maximum opportunity for training, familiarisation and acclimatisation.
The Australian contingent will remain under Australian national command
and will be placed under operational control of the coalition commander
for agreed tasks.
I welcome New Zealand's announcement that it will contribute
an SAS unit and two Orion reconnaissance aircraft to the coalition
and we are discussing with New Zealand ways in which our contingents
can work together.
The decision to commit forces is a difficult one which the Government
would have preferred not to have to face. But we cannot ignore the
threat to stability posed by Saddam Hussein's possession of weapons
of mass destruction and his flouting of the United Nations.