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Howard backs Bush's tough line on Iraq
CANBERRA, Australia -- Australian Prime Minister John Howard, one of America's closest supporters in the Asia-Pacific region, has given firm backing to President Bush's State of the Union comments on Iraq. Speaking to reporters in the Australian capital, Howard welcomed the announcement that the U.S. would present evidence of Saddam Hussein's weapons programs to the U.N. Security Council next week. "That puts it right at the feet of the Security Council," he said, "where the matter belongs." "It also reminds us that Iraq has not been playing the game, Iraq has not been cooperating, Iraq has been thumbing its nose at the rest of the world, and the Security Council has got to do its job," he added. Despite vocal domestic opposition Howard has already committed Australian naval, land and air-borne forces to the Gulf in preparation for possible military action and says further deployments may yet be necessary. Only two other countries, Britain and the United States, have committed troops to the Gulf. 'Weighty responsibility'Welcoming Tuesday's State of the Union speech, Howard said the U.S. move to present some its intelligence material to Security Council members showed that the Bush administration was following international diplomatic norms. However, he added that it was up to the council to face what he called its "very weighty responsibility" and tackle the issue head on. "They have passed a resolution and they must ensure that Iraq complies with that resolution," he said. Japan, another of America's key regional allies, also expressed support for Bush's announcement. Initial reaction came from Foreign Ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima, who said the government in Tokyo was looking forward to next week's Security Council gathering. 'Solidarity'"We think that this kind of American effort to present the reasons and the evidence to the international community is a very good effort to maintain solidarity," he told Reuters. Japan has yet to formally come down in favor or against U.S.-led military action, but has said it would prefer for any action to take place with United Nations backing. Other regional powers have however been more cautious in their approach, notably China and India which have both said they are opposed to unilateral American action. China, Asia's only permanent Security Council member, also has veto power over any resolutions. Neither government issued immediate reaction to Bush's address, although on the evidence of recent statements they are unlikely to have been convinced that the case for war is any closer to being proven. They, like much of the rest of the world, will be eagerly awaiting Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation to the Security Council on February 5.
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