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U.S. to administer Iraq: Howard
By CNN's Craig Francis
CANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- Iraq will "inevitably" be controlled by an administration put in place by the United States in the immediate wake of the war in Iraq according to one of the United States' staunchest allies. Speaking in Canberra after a conference call with U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said post-war governance in Iraq was a vital issue. Howard added the United Nations would also have a role to play in administering a post-war Iraq but suggested this role would be one that met with the approval of the United States and its fighting partners. "We believe that inevitably there must be an interim period of American supervised administration. We then see a greater role for the United Nations," Howard told CNN. But Howard's comments also reflected the United States' reluctance to allow France and Russia a major role in the post-war effort after those U.N. Security Council countries opposed the use of force in Iraq. "[The U.N. role] in our view must be one that accepts the propriety of what is being done by the United States and Great Britain and Australia and others, it's got to be borne in mind that the countries that have made the commitment and bought about the disarmament of Iraq -- most particularly but not only the United States -- has a right to express a strong view about the post-conflict arrangements, and to have that view respected," said Howard. Howard said he envisaged "some advisory presence for the United Nations" in the immediate aftermath of hostilities. "I don't have any desire to shut them out completely for a period, but let's be realistic. In the immediate post-conflict period, the Americans would have to have that role," Howard said in Canberra during his first press conference since the war began. Behind the United States and Britain, Australia has provided the largest contribution of the so-called "coalition of the willing." Special forces, a squadron of hornet fighter jets, Naval support and mine clearance teams are among the Australian contingent of forces in the region. Howard said the coalition agreed the future of Iraq belonged to its people, who must be allowed to choose the form of government "that best suits them." Refuting claims the United States was asserting itself in the Middle East to secure access to valuable oil reserves, Howard said Iraq's oil assets should benefit the Iraqi people. Civilians
On the same day Iraq's health minister said more than 350 Iraqi civilians have been killed in the war, Howard claimed the allied troops were going to great lengths to avoid killing innocent Iraqis. "Unprecedented steps are being taken by the United States, Britain, Australia and other participants to minimize the impact on civilian populations," he told CNN. "It is being conducted by nations that do have a proper regard for human life, and it's being fought against an opponent that has no regard for human life, and they are factors that are affecting the way in which the war is being conducted," he said. Howard's unwavering support of the United States has drawn strong criticism from many Australians but the protests have done little to sway the prime minister's offering of his full support to the coalition forces. While Howard admitted he accepts their protests as part of the people's right to disagree with the government in a democratic society, he said decisions about war were "not being driven by opinion polls."
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