madkins
Registered
Opinions have vested interests just as men have.
Samuel Butler(1835-1902)
The Australian
Last Update: Friday, July 9, 2004. 8:07am (AEST)
Malcolm Fraser (Lateline)
Fraser urges US to stay out of Australian politics
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser has joined a growing number of prominent Australians urging the United States administration to stay out of domestic politics.
Both Mr Fraser and former Labor PM, Paul Keating, think Washington has gone too far in its further criticism of Labor's Iraq policy.
US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, says after meeting with a number of Labor MPs in Washington it was clear
there is a deep divide in the party over its policy to remove Australian troops from Iraq by Christmas.
Labor denies that but Mr Fraser has told Lateline the comment is unforgivable.
"If
it had been in older times American officials would have been told to butt
out," he said.
Mr Keating has accused the US of political thuggery and described the comments by Mr Armitage as dumb.
The Opposition's Kevin Rudd says the criticism coming from Washington will not change Labor's policy.
"What the Bush administration wanted was for both sides of Australian politics to unite in support for the military invasion in Iraq," he said.
"We in the Labor Party took a different view."
He says there is no room for compromise on the Opposition's plan to withdraw the troops.
Skara Brae,
madkins
Samuel Butler(1835-1902)
The Australian
Last Update: Friday, July 9, 2004. 8:07am (AEST)
Malcolm Fraser (Lateline)
Fraser urges US to stay out of Australian politics
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser has joined a growing number of prominent Australians urging the United States administration to stay out of domestic politics.
Both Mr Fraser and former Labor PM, Paul Keating, think Washington has gone too far in its further criticism of Labor's Iraq policy.
US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, says after meeting with a number of Labor MPs in Washington it was clear
there is a deep divide in the party over its policy to remove Australian troops from Iraq by Christmas.
Labor denies that but Mr Fraser has told Lateline the comment is unforgivable.
"If
it had been in older times American officials would have been told to butt
out," he said.
Mr Keating has accused the US of political thuggery and described the comments by Mr Armitage as dumb.
The Opposition's Kevin Rudd says the criticism coming from Washington will not change Labor's policy.
"What the Bush administration wanted was for both sides of Australian politics to unite in support for the military invasion in Iraq," he said.
"We in the Labor Party took a different view."
He says there is no room for compromise on the Opposition's plan to withdraw the troops.
Skara Brae,
madkins