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Politics : War -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brumar89 who wrote (18073)	12/3/2002 9:20:20 AM
From: lorne	Respond to of 23908

Bush backs PM on pre-emptive strikes December 3 2002 US President George W Bush fully supports Australia's controversial threat to launch pre-emptive strikes overseas to thwart possible terrorist attacks, the White House said today. Asked whether Bush backed Australian Prime Minster John Howard, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer replied: "The president of course supports pre-emptive action." "September 11 changed everything, and nations must respond and change their doctrines to face new and different threats. That's the way of the world, it always has been. And a nation that remains in the status quo after an event like September 11th can only endanger its own people," he added. Amid a storm of protest from Australia's outraged Asian neighbours, Fleischer specified that pre-emption was appropriate only "in the shadowy war against terror ... not all threats." Howard's comment in a televised interview yesterday drew immediate condemnation by the governments of the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, which warned against the use of military action in another country. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said his country would consider it an act of war if Australia launched a pre-emptive strike in his country. "We will hold this as an attempt to wage war against the government and the country if Australia pursues its intention to attack any country to tackle terrorism," he said. Opposition politicians also attacked Howard, urging him to withdraw the remarks and accusing him of a major diplomatic gaffe certain to worsen Australia's difficult relations with its neighbours. "Nothing that I said yesterday was in any way directed against the countries of our region," Howard said today. "It was not in any way directed against the governments of the countries of our region." smh.com.au