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Australia 'has Iraq oil interest' | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has admitted that securing oil supplies is a key factor behind the presence of Australian troops in Iraq. | |
He said maintaining "resource security" in the Middle East was a priority. | |
But PM John Howard has played down the comments, saying it was "stretching it a bit" to conclude that Australia's Iraq involvement was motivated by oil. | |
The remarks are causing heated debate as the US-led Iraq coalition has avoided linking the war and oil. | |
Oil concerns | |
Australia was involved in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and has about 1,500 military personnel still deployed in the region. | |
There are no immediate plans to bring them home. | |
In comments to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Nelson admitted that the supply of oil had influenced Australia's strategic planning in the region. | |
"Obviously the Middle East itself, not only Iraq but the entire region, is an important supplier of energy, oil in particular, to the rest of the world," he said. | |
"Australians and all of us need to think what would happen if there were a premature withdrawal from Iraq. | |
"It's in our interests, our security interests, to make sure that we leave the Middle East, and leave Iraq in particular, in a position of sustainable security." | |
Australians and all of us need to think what would happen if there were a premature withdrawal from Iraq Brendan Nelson This is thought to be the first time the Australian government has admitted any link between troop deployment in Iraq and securing energy resources. | |
But Prime Minister John Howard was quick to play down the significance of his defence minister's comments. | |
"We didn't go there because of oil and we don't remain there because of oil," he told a local radio station. | |
"A lot of oil comes from the Middle East - we all know that - but the reason we remain there is that we want to give the people of Iraq a possibility of embracing democracy," he added. | |
Opposition criticism | |
Opposition politicians, though, have chastised Mr Howard's government over the comments. | |
"This government simply makes it up as it goes along on Iraq," Labor leader Kevin Rudd told reporters. | |
Anti-war protesters say the government's admission proves that the US-led invasion was more of a grab for oil rather than a genuine attempt to uncover weapons of mass destruction. | |
But ministers in Canberra have brushed aside the criticism, saying they remain committed to helping the US stabilise Iraq and combat terrorism. | But ministers in Canberra have brushed aside the criticism, saying they remain committed to helping the US stabilise Iraq and combat terrorism. |
They have also stressed that there will be no "premature withdrawal" of Australian forces from the region. | They have also stressed that there will be no "premature withdrawal" of Australian forces from the region. |