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TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER THE HON JOHN HOWARD MP ADDRESS TO JOINT SESSION OF PARLIAMENT, PARLIAMENT HOUSE, OTTAWA Mr Speaker, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and Honourable Members of both Houses of the Canadian Parliament. Can I first say how deeply honoured I am at the privilege of addressing this Joint Sitting of the two Houses of the Parliament of Canada. I'm told that the only previous occasion on which an Australian prime Minister spoke to such a sitting was in 1944 when one of my Labor predecessors, John Curtin, on a visit to North America during the...

TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER THE HON JOHN HOWARD MP ADDRESS AT THE OFFICIAL ARRIVAL CEREMONY, THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON Mr. President and Mrs. Bush, Mr. Vice President and Mrs. Cheney, ladies and gentlemen. Can I say to you, Mr. President, for myself and my wife, and I know all of the Australians present here today, how much we welcome and appreciate the warmth and generosity of the hospitality and welcome that you have extended to us. It is possible, Mr. President, to count on the fingers of our two hands the number of nations that have remained continuously democratic...

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2006 – A new agreement between the United States and Australia opens the door to more information sharing and cooperation in research and development related to combating terrorism. Ambassador at Large Henry Crumpton (standing), the State Department's counterterrorism coordinator, looks on as Thomas O'Connell (left), assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and Peter Shergold, Australia's secretary for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, sign a memorandum of understanding promoting counterterrorism cooperation May 17. Photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Thomas O'Connell, assistant secretary of defense for special...

President Bush signed a $70 billion tax-cut package, and honored the 2006 United States Winter Olympic and Paralympics Teams, both events being held on the South Lawn at the White House. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee. Some details here; note bias in article title. There are some late photos from last evening's dinner that the president and first lady hosted for Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, and his wife, Janette. Tony Snow's press briefing today (transcript and video). Welcome to Sanity Island!

Prime Minister John Howard is wrapping up a visit to Washington by urging the United States to remain involved and committed in world affairs. The Prime Minister has been honoured with a state dinner hosted by President George W Bush at the White House. During the dinner, both men toasted each other's friendship and leadership. Mr Howard has also used the occasion to argue for America to continue to take the lead in international affairs. "A world without a dedicated involved America will be a lesser world, a less safe world, a more precarious world," he said. "If I have...

US President George W. Bush has told a glittering dinner at the White House that the US has no better friend than Australian Prime Minister John Howard. About 100 business leaders, political figures and sportsmen donned black tie to attend the official dinner in the State Dining Room in Mr Howard's honour today. Media boss Rupert Murdoch, the US Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, former Liberal leader Andrew Peacock and golfer Geoff Ogilvy were on the exclusive guest list, as was the Howards' son Richard and his guest, Kristen Slaughter. Greg Norman wasn't there – but the golfer's Santa...

IF politics is showbiz for ugly people, John Howard has just won an Oscar. In front of a packed press conference in the White House, US President George W Bush outlined the reasons for his close friendship with the Australian prime minister - and it sure isn't his looks. In the space of one answer, Mr Bush described the man standing by his side as bald and no oil painting - but a terrific leader. And Mr Bush put paid to any thought that Mr Howard might be retiring at the end of this year, saying he did not expect...

GEORGE W. Bush may be deeply unpopular at present but it doesn't bother John Howard. Under a brilliant blue Washington sky, the Prime Minister, who was effusively welcomed by the US President, returned the lavish praise. With key members of the Bush cabinet - including Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military, Peter Pace, looking on, Mr Bush welcomed Mr Howard on the south lawn of the White House as an ally on the "front line" in the war against terrorism. "American people know that the...

This morning President and Mrs. Bush greeted Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his wife, Janette to the White House in an official South Lawn Arrival Ceremony as part of a state visit, followed by a meeting of the two leaders in the Oval Office, and a joint statement to the press in the East Room. There will be an official State Dinner at the White House this evening.This afternoon President Bush congratulated the WNBA 2005 National Champion, Sacramento Monarchs at a ceremony in the East Garden of the White House, where he accepted a shirt and championship ring.There has...

PRIME Minister John Howard has been welcomed to the White House in a lavish ceremony featuring hundreds of military guards, two brass bands and thousands of spectators. In scenes reminiscent of a Hollywood movie, Mr Howard was hailed by US President George W. Bush as a hero before waving to the crowd from the curved balcony overlooking the South Lawn. Ceremonial guards from all six of the US military forces began lining the South Lawn about half an hour before Mr Howard and his wife Janette arrived in a black limousine. The Howards were greeted by Mr Bush and his...

(AUSTRALIA'S) PRIME Minister John Howard has urged the United States to become more involved in international affairs, saying it is the only way to ensure world peace. Mr Howard made the plea to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during an official lunch at the State Department in Washington, a day after a private dinner with President George W. Bush. The prime minister has powered through a series of meetings with senior US officials, including Ms Rice, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Energy Secretary Sam Bodman and the new chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke. Ms Rice opened the lunch...

President Bush joined Australian Prime Minister John Howard for a little tree-planting and dinner Sunday in advance of serious talks expected to focus on the standoff with Iran and continuing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Howard was scheduled to met Monday with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld prior to sessions Tuesday at the White House where he is to be honored with a black-tie dinner. He visited with Vice President Dick Cheney on Saturday. Bush and Howard were joined by their wives at the Australian ambassador's residence at dusk Sunday for the ceremonial planting...

US President George W Bush has thanked Prime Minister John Howard for his strong support in the war against terrorism as the two leaders planted a tree in the grounds of the Australian ambassador's residence in Washington. Calling Mr Howard his dear friend, Mr Bush said the tree – an American elm grown from a direct cutting from an elm planted at the White House in 1826 by President John Quincy Adams – was a symbol of the enduring friendship between the two countries. Struggling in the polls, with his personal popularity languishing at 29 per cent as concern about...

TWO young saplings will mark a new era in Australian-US relationships when Prime Minister John Howard plants them in the grounds of the Australian embassy in Washington on Sunday, watched by US President George W Bush. The elm and maple saplings, from the grounds of the White House, are a special gift from Mr Bush to Australia. And just as the two trees will grow to withstand the American capital's steamy hot summers and snowy winters, Mr Howard is confident the relationship between the two countries will continue to grow and flourish. President Bush will host a black-tie dinner for...

US President George W. Bush will fete visiting Australian Prime Minster John Howard with an official black-tie dinner when the two leaders meet in Washington next week, the White House said overnight. Mr Bush and Mr Howard are to meet Tuesday for talks on international security, the war on terror and other matters, after which they will attend a glittering soiree attended by prominent figures from the world of business and politics. The US president and other senior government officials are expected to discuss security in Iraq and Afghanistan, where both countries have troops, Iran's disputed nuclear program, China's growing...

PRIME Minister John Howard and US President George W. Bush say they are committed to keeping troops in Iraq despite moves by Britain to start withdrawing forces next year.Mr Bush and Mr Howard told a joint press conference at the White House they didn't believe in setting timetables to withdraw troops from Iraq. Their comments come after Britain's Defence Secretary John Reid said at the weekend that he expected British troops would start pulling out of Iraq during the next year. Mr Howard said he would not put a timetable on when Australia would pull its troops out of Iraq....

President Bush had just sat down for lunch with Australia's prime minister when he had to step away to make the telephone call that would end his search for a Supreme Court justice. Returning to the table, Bush told John Howard, "I just offered the job to a great, smart 50-year-old lawyer who has agreed to serve on the bench." Thus it was that the prime minister, his wife, Janette, and Laura Bush were the first beyond a small circle of White House advisers to learn the president had decided on his candidate - appeals court judge John G. Roberts....

THE man of steel has met his mate in Washington to exchange compliments and little else, beyond the possibility of our troops in Iraq staying on for a longer tour of duty. But the absence of any immediate announcement following John Howard's discussion with George W. Bush is not surprising. It was a meeting of leaders who are allies and personal friends to affirm shared objectives. Inevitably, the enemies of the alliance will argue the meeting was another example of Australian obeisance. Nonsense. The Prime Minister, like Paul Keating and Bob Hawke before him, rightly recognises the alliance is the...

United States President George W Bush has praised Prime Minister John Howard's "conviction" and "backbone" as the two leaders rejected calls for an Iraq withdrawal timetable and agreed on the importance of sometimes difficult relations with China. The two leaders emphasised their close personal relationship and their political victories at home against the backdrop of a bloody insurgency in Iraq that shows few signs of diminishing. "It's always good to visit with a friend about how he sees the world," Mr Bush said during a joint press conference in Washington. "I admire John Howard a lot. He's a man of...

Commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan leave us exposed at home, writes Hugh White. So, after nearly four years, we are back where we started in the war on terror. By the end of this year the SAS will be hunting the Taliban again in the hills of Afghanistan, as they were doing in 2001. Howard's decision, announced last week, is the right thing to do, but it carries a gloomy message about our future commitments, and some important implications for our defence force. The return of the SAS to Afghanistan marks the demise of John Howard's original strategic concept for...