Australia vows to keep troops in Iraq if needed

By James Grubel

ADELAIDE, Australia, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Australian troops will stay in Iraq as long as they are required, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Thursday, ahead of talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Australia, a strong ally of the United States, has about 1,300 military personnel in and around Iraq, including forces training the Iraqi military and 450 troops providing security for Japanese engineers in southern Al Muthanna province.

"For as long as we have a useful job to do, in particular in helping to train up the Iraqi security forces, we'll do the job," Downer told reporters.

"When the Iraqi security forces can do the job, it will be time to leave."

Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick will hold annual defence and security talks with Downer and Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill in Adelaide on Friday.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SYD266728.htm

 

You know the situation of the constant disagreement between the Republicans and the Democrats in the U.S? Well the same thing happens in Aostralia, excepting that it is the Liberal party (who are right wing!) versus the Labor party who are left wing.

Thus the Liberal Party is similar to the Republican Party, and the Labor party is similar to the Democrats.

 

No I am do not vote for the Liberal Party in Australia, even though I do confess to being conservative in voting. I put mine down each election for either the Christian Democratic Party or the Family First Party, both of whom are Christian parties run by born again Christians. In some way similar I suppose to some of the smaller Christian political parties in the U.S.