Posted on 12/01/2002 8:03:40 AM PST by blam
Sunday, 1 December, 2002, 13:49 GMT
Australia ready to strike abroad
John Howard wants the UN charter to be changed
Australia's prime minister has said he is ready to launch pre-emptive action against terrorists in neighbouring Asian countries. John Howard's remarks caused outrage among governments in the region.
He told Australian television that international law was no longer adequate to confront the threats to national security.
International law has to catch up with the new reality
Australia should now be allowed to strike first at terrorist targets, he said.
Mr Howard's comments come as Australia beefs up its security measures, following a terrorist attack in Bali in October which claimed up to 90 Australian lives.
Powerful military
Asked whether he would be prepared to act if he knew terrorists were planning to attack Australia, Mr Howard said: "Yes, I think any Australian prime minister would."
Australia used its military might in East Timor
Australia has one of the most powerful military machines in the Asia-Pacific region, including a modern air force and highly regarded special forces, says the BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney.
Mr Howard said he would have no hesitation in using these resources in neighbouring countries to eliminate suspected terrorist targets.
The Australian leader also wants the United Nations charter to be amended to allow member countries to strike first if they believe an attack is imminent.
States cannot flout international law and norms willy-nilly
Marti Natalegawa, Indonesia spokesman He said the existing document was drawn up when conflicts were defined in terms of one nation attacking another nation - and was now out-of-date.
"What you're getting is non-state terrorism which is just as devastating and potentially even more so."
Attack warnings
In the past few weeks, the Australian government has issued a number of warnings that an attack on Australian soil is likely in the coming months.
The country's sense of security was shattered on 12 October, when powerful bomb blasts blamed on suspected Islamic extremists tore through beach bars on Indonesia's resort island of Bali.
The Bali blast shattered Australia's notions of security
Up to 90 of the 185 people killed were Australian, and the attack has been dubbed Australia's September 11.
Since then the country has been on a high state of alert, boosting security overseas and warning of further attacks.
Last week Australia closed its mission in the Philippines, citing a specific and credible terror threat.
Asian anger
Mr Howard's comments have sparked outrage from governments across Asia.
Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Marti Natalegawa said Australia did not have the right to launch military strikes in other countries. "States cannot flout international law and norms willy-nilly," he said.
Thai Government spokesman Ratthakit Manathat said: "Nobody does anything like this. Each country has its own sovereignty that must be protected."
And Philippine National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said Mr Howard's comments were "not wise", and did not "follow ... the doctrine of peacekeeping and sovereignty."
2nd ammendment haiting liberal dumbocritters would.
That example no longer specifically applies in the land of 'Roo since they suffered Unilateral Personal Disarmament (UPD). They can strike with their military outside their borders even use the Aussie SAS but when they suffer retaliation it will be against soft targets and their whole country is now a "soft target."
Malls, diners, grocery stores, SCHOOLS...you name it, they won't have to go high tech or WMD when a bunch of AK's and grenades will do it just as well. I hope the Aussie public remembers it after the fact so they can vote down and out the laws and all the pols who put them in place. But, beind descended from convicts in the first place...I doubt it.
"Why the heck can't our President be more like him?"
Thank GOD GW's NOT like this "gun banning globalist!"
Very true.
That may have been true in the 1960's, but since then the military power of the Muslim (or largely Muslim) nations which surround you has increased, while yours has not.
Point #2, we are not simply comparing conventional military power- we are facing (together, I hope) an Islamist threat, with a religious war in the offing the likes of which has not been seen since the 18th Century.
Point 3, you have allowed (and continue to allow) large numbers of young Muslim males into your nation- which has only a few major cities, all of which are extremely vulnerable to attack by determined terrorists.
I'm sorry- I have served with Aussies, and liked them- but I really think that you are minimizing the threat you face, and overestimating your own military capabilities while grievously UNDERestimating your potential enemies.
Yeah...well you allowed yourselves to be DISARMED by a bunch of globalist whackos to advance the New World Order and where have those two million guns gotten you? Are you any more free? Is your crime rate lower? Do those same pols who disarmed you FEAR that you're going to take your RIGHTS back because you've got two million left? And what kind are they? Shotguns suitable for hunting 'Roo? Can you actually USE them in self defense? What happens if you do choose to defend your family from a crazed rapist or killer? Will you be rewarded or villified? When your GOVERNMENT pillories you, will your fellow Aussies stand up in OUTRAGE or lower their eyes in shame?
"And so what if we're descended from convicts." Okay...I apologize for that comment...I was in the moment. In fact the state of Georgia is also inhabited by descendants (well, those originally from the colony of Georgia) of debtors and convicts.....so I haven't got much room to laugh. My kin are from Virginia and actually on my mom's side trace their lineage directly to both George Washington and Thomas "STONEWALL" Jackson.
"What are you descended from? Royalty?"
In fact, on my fathers side of the family we are listed as a family in what is known as the third book (out of four books) of the Czar of Russia....so yeah, actually I am descended of royalty. That and $5 will get me a good coffee at Starbucks. :-)
Do you have any more info on that?
,,, you've got my vote.
While we surely may be involved, a good Army troop would remember that old saying. They can't get here from there. Unless the Muslims were to conquer them from within, which I doubt, the only other way, would be for hundreds of thousands of them to invade Australia. How are they going to do that? The Muslim countries have lousy forces, and the US and Australian Navies will not allow large numbers of troop ships to sail the ocean blue, without a ton of intervention. I wonder if one ship could make it through the gauntlet.
When will Bush come out and tell us who we are really fighting in this war?
Are we at war with terrorist as he claims or are we at war with muslim terrorist?
Or could we be at war with islam(piss on allah)?
Bush quote, "Religion of Peace", ha, ha, ha, ha!
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