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Australian PM angered over UN appeal for civilian protection
ABC ^
| 27/03/2003
| R.A.N
Posted on 03/27/2003 6:56:38 AM PST by smpc
Australia's Prime Minister John Howard has admonished the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, for urging all sides in the Iraq war to protect civilians.
Our reporter Stephanie Kennedy says Mr Annan comments came after a missile strike killed 15 Iraqis in a Baghdad suburb.
He said all sides in the conflict should respect international humanitarian law and take all necessary steps to protect civilians.
Mr Howard has responded to the comments by asking Mr Annan to examine the relative behaviour of US, British and Australian troops.
"Any suggestion of moral equivalence between the coalition and the Iraqis on this occasion, I totally reject," he said.
TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
1
posted on
03/27/2003 6:56:38 AM PST
by
smpc
To: smpc
Thank You Mr. Prime Minister!!!
2
posted on
03/27/2003 6:57:21 AM PST
by
theDentist
(So..... This is Virginia..... where are all the virgins?)
To: theDentist
PM Howard BUMP!
3
posted on
03/27/2003 6:58:43 AM PST
by
KingPin
To: smpc
Yay for the Aussies.
4
posted on
03/27/2003 6:59:36 AM PST
by
trebb
To: theDentist
From another Freeper:
using civilians as human shields
military units dressed in civilian clothes
fake surrender ambushes
arming with chemical weapons
systematic rape and torture
execution and (possible) castration of POW's
forcing soldiers to fight under threat of death to their families
placing military targets in hospitals
using ambulances for military transport
suicide bombings
attacking their own population
gassing their own population
cutting off water to their own cities
vs.: possibly bombing a market by accident
Guess which draws more protest from the media, the UN and Amnesty International?
5
posted on
03/27/2003 7:01:57 AM PST
by
Peach
To: smpc
Its a very misleading headline...its implying that the PM is mad that we're not supposed to kill civilians rather than being mad at accusations of moral equivalance with the regime.
6
posted on
03/27/2003 7:02:17 AM PST
by
smpc
To: smpc
The fact that the Iraqis couldn't give a rip about civilians, and that we do, is so obvious that to any decent human being, it should go without saying.
One more bit of evidence of the craven and irredeemable nature of the 'UN', and its 'leaders'.
To: smpc
Kudos to PM Howard for standing up to Mr Hitler...er Mr Annan.
Aussie, UK, and US forces are doing everything possible to limit Iraqi civilian deaths. Too bad Saddam and his minions are not doing the same for Iraqi civilians
Aussie troops over the years have been noble fighters and have taken their share of casualties in wars...esp in the Pacific Theater in WW II.
If any of you are in the Wash DC area.....there used to be a store in the National Mall (near JW Marriott, I think) where they sold Aussie goods. It would be a nice time to buy some Aussie goods
Man, after reading this, I wanna eat a Vegemite sandwich. Kudos to Aussies and PM Howard
8
posted on
03/27/2003 7:09:08 AM PST
by
UCFRoadWarrior
(Anti-War Protestors: Our Own Home-Grown War Criminals)
To: smpc
Liberals. They don't strive to identify the guilty. They strive to portray moral equivalence!
It's a self-protective thingy.
9
posted on
03/27/2003 7:15:17 AM PST
by
Gritty
To: smpc
Hey, we should lay off Goofy Annan, he knows what he's doing. Remember what a fine job the UN did in proecting civilians in Rwanda under his leadership?
10
posted on
03/27/2003 7:31:35 AM PST
by
machman
To: UCFRoadWarrior
Nothing funnier than watching an Americans face after their first bite of a vegemite sandwich:P
11
posted on
03/27/2003 7:45:03 AM PST
by
smpc
To: smpc
This seems like an appropriate thread to share some thoughts that have been rattling around my brain cage...
On Human Shields
War is an ugly thing
But not the ugliest of things
Priorities collide
Diplomacy is tried
But truth is found on the battlefield
The defenders hide their faces
The innocent propped in their places
Battle ensues
Death on the news
But truth is found on the battlefield
Shielding their forces and lives
Civilians are chosen to die
Invaders restrained
Minimizing the slain
And truth is found on the battlefield
Our weapons of war are smart
Warfare of finesse and art
Shields are spared
Enemy is scared
And truth is found on the battlefield
Civilians are a shield and deterrant
Because some weapons are errant
While we spare lives
They spin lies
But truth is found on the battlefield
While we endeavor to limit the dead
They spill blood so hatred will spread
The bombs do fall
But not on all
And truth is found on the battlefield
With all that they attempt
They are beneath our contempt
The world will see
Iraq will be free
And truth will come from the battlefield
12
posted on
03/27/2003 8:12:33 AM PST
by
pgyanke
(Please, Lord, prevent unnecessary casualties in this conflict...and maximize the necessary ones!)
To: UCFRoadWarrior
As an Aussie who likes Vegemite you need to understand something about it. The english equivalent is called Marmite btw. It's very salty and the way to eat it is to butter some toast and take a small amount on a knife and lightly dab it on. Very small amounts so it doesn't overwhelm you. At best its sort of like a flavouring enhancement nothing more. You can use it on crackers as well. Regardless its an aquired taste and most get it while growing up. The website for the stuff
http://www.vegemite.com.au/index.asp?area=1
13
posted on
03/27/2003 9:24:59 AM PST
by
xp38
To: xp38
My mom is from England. She told me she craved Marmite when she was pregnant with me but she couldn't find it over here at the time. She puts it on toast like you described.
14
posted on
03/27/2003 9:33:30 AM PST
by
beaversmom
(After the Axis of Evil on to the Axis of Weasels)
To: smpc
I don't know much about Howard but I'm liking what I've heard so far.
15
posted on
03/27/2003 9:35:07 AM PST
by
beaversmom
(After the Axis of Evil on to the Axis of Weasels)
To: beaversmom
Some claim there is a difference between the two but if so it is very slight at least from my taste buds. What this Marmite website
http://www.gty.org/~phil/marmite.htm says is it's a bit stronger than Vegemite. Marmite is on the shelves of supermarkets here in Toronto. To find Vegemite you have to go to some specialty stores so I often just use Marmite.
16
posted on
03/27/2003 10:31:03 AM PST
by
xp38
To: smpc
You tell 'em Mr. Howard
17
posted on
03/27/2003 10:32:00 AM PST
by
The Wizard
(Saddamocrats are enemies of America)
To: beaversmom
Of the two main political parties in Australia Howard is the leader of the conservative one even though the name of his party is Liberal. Don't let that name fool you. It may be confusing but this is from an essay on the web to enlighten you.
As a feature of modern democracy, the Australian system of government includes many political parties representing various groups of people of different ideologies and to protect the interests of these particular groups. Each party accommodates its own structures to a different conception of democracy, and maintains a different view of what a democratic society should be.
Having inherited our system of government from the British Westminster system, Australia also furthers the Westminster tradition of the two party system. This of course does not imply that there are necessarily only two parties. It simply derives its meaning from the two main points of view presented in the debate among parties. In Australia, there are three major parties; the two parties consisting of the Labor Party and a coalition of the Liberal and National Party.
The Labor party is Australias oldest political party. Founded in the 1880s, the Labor Party was formed in the midst of depression & high unemployment. Traditionally the Labor Party has taken a role in voicing the needs of the common workers, & has taken the side in upholding social justice. The main goals of the Labor party are to eliminate poverty, create full employment and establish equal rights & opportunities. (Chapman, 1994: page 192) Currently, the Labor Party have not held office since 1996, & under leader Kim Beazley hold a considerable part of the House of Representatives. This is out of date as Beazley is no longer the leader
The conservative Coalition consists of a longtime partnership between the Liberal and National party. This partnership has often been described as symbiotic. In this relationship, the leader of the Liberal party takes leadership of the coalition, & the leader of the National Party takes the role of deputy. Currently the coalition is lead by John Howard with his sidekick John Anderson.
The National Party, formerly the Country Party founded in 1920, was established to better represent the interests of the industries & residents of rural Australia. The National Party represents a unique aspect of Australia, from which we not only see our heritage as a nation as a whole, but also in that rural Australia represents a large & important part in Australias economy. It shows the considerable influence rural Australia exerts on the government. The principles of the National Party have always been to encourage export industries & private enterprise, taking care of the family, maintain Australias security & remain loyal to Britain & her empire. (Chapman, 1994: page 192)
The original Liberal Party, known as Fusion, emerged in 1909 as an alliance of various groups opposed to the Australian Labor Party. The modern Liberal Party, founded in 1944 at a conference held by Robert Menzies, is by far the youngest of the three major political parties. The principles of the Liberal Party have been to encourage private enterprise, competition & efficiency in industry, reduce taxation & government spending, & to raise the living standards of Australians. (Outlined in Appendix 1: The Original Liberal Party Principles)
Without doubt, the Liberal party has been one of the most important of all formative political influences on contemporary Australia. This is not to deny the dynamic force of Labor on the political system, nor does it ignore the importance the National Party exerts on the economy. Since its creation, the Liberal party have held government for a considerable majority of the period, reflecting the powerful effect it has had in consolidating the form of post-war Australia.
18
posted on
03/27/2003 10:49:27 AM PST
by
xp38
To: smpc
Had Kofi Anan, Chirac, Putin, Schroder, and the Chinese not violted the 17 UN resoultions then none of this would be happening today.
It was in their financial interests to put these people in harms way.
Through their quasi enforcement of the UN resolutions the only thing they kept out of Iarq was US Businesses.
We need to harm one each from France, Russia, Germany for every innocent hurt in this war.
19
posted on
03/27/2003 2:05:45 PM PST
by
Kay Soze
(France - "The country where the worms live above ground")
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