Howard defends joining 'star wars'
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Myers, left, and Howard shield themselves from the rain in Sydney.
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SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) -- Australia will sign up to the United States's missile defense project because it would be "recklessly negligent" not to protect the nation from possible attack, Prime Minister John Howard said on Friday.
After meeting the top U.S. military officer, General Richard Myers, Howard said it was "common sense" to join the project being designed to shoot down ballistic missiles. He shrugged off concerns that it could trigger a regional arms race.
Howard said he hoped to sign an agreement soon with close ally Washington to join the controversial "son of star wars" program, but gave no details of Australia's possible role in the project or its funding commitments.
"It stands to reason that if there is available to us a mechanism that can provide us with defense against a missile attack in the future we would be foolish, in fact recklessly negligent, not to take advantage of the opportunity of acquiring that capacity," Howard told reporters.
Australia this week began negotiating a memorandum of understanding with U.S. officials on involvement in the missile defense program, the technology of which is yet unproven.
No details have been made public on Australia's likely role but Defense Minister Robert Hill suggested this week that Australian warships might carry powerful missiles capable of shooting down long-range ballistic missiles. (Full story)
But the Australian conservative government's decision, announced last month, to join the project has received a cool response from Asian neighbors who already accuse Canberra of playing "deputy sheriff" to the United States in the region.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a leading think-tank, has warned of a possible diplomatic backlash from nuclear-armed China if Australia joins the missile shield. Neighboring Indonesia said it appeared an "offensive" move.
But Howard brushed aside regional concerns, saying that most nations understood Australia's decision and it was "extraordinary" to criticize a country's bid to give itself the capacity to defend itself against a missile attack in the future.
"Any suggestion that these discussions are going to rupture or upset relations with our friends in the region are misplaced," said Howard.
Australia's center-left Labor opposition has questioned whether Australia can afford the multi-billion-dollar system.
The visit by General Myers, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, came at the end of a four-nation Asian tour, primarily to thank Howard for sending troops to the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Australia already operates a ballistic missile early warning ground station jointly with the United States at Pine Gap in the remote Australian Outback.
Japan is also planning to introduce a missile defense system to protect against the threat posed by North Korea. (Full story)
Japan and the United States have been jointly researching a missile defense system since North Korea shocked Tokyo by test firing a missile that flew over Japan's main island in 1998.
Copyright 2004
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
