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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen The Australian government strongly believes that it is in the national interest of this country that Iraq has its chemical and biological weapons taken from it and that Iraq be denied the capacity to ever develop nuclear weapons. Not only is it inherently dangerous to allow a country such as Iraq to retain such weapons, particularly in the light of its past aggressive behaviour, but the failure of the world community to disarm Iraq will encourage other rogue States to do likewise, safe in the knowledge that the world will do nothing to stop them....

The Prime Minister of Australia has just delivered a speech to the National Press Club, Canberra, outlining the Australian Governement's policy on Iraq and why they must be disarmed.John Howard's speech gave no comfort to those against war with Iraq and was extremely supportive of America and George Bush. The Prime Minister questioned the credentials of anyone who opposed the war on humanitarian grounds as he proclaimed that not disarming Iraq may have in the future greater humanitarian consequences for the world and that not bringing about regime change in Iraq would mean the continuation of extreme human rights abuses...

TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER THE HON JOHN HOWARD MP ADDRESS TO THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB THE GREAT HALL, PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA Mr President, ladies and gentlemen The Australian government strongly believes that it is in the national interest of this country that Iraq has its chemical and biological weapons taken from it and that Iraq be denied the capacity to ever develop nuclear weapons. Not only is it inherently dangerous to allow a country such as Iraq to retain such weapons, particularly in the light of its past aggressive behaviour, but the failure of the world community to disarm...