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Bush slams Howard opponent on Iraq


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George W. Bush
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush has expressed strong support for Australian Prime Minister John Howard and criticized the Iraq policy of Howard's Labor Party challenger Mark Latham.

Bush said that if Latham wins the upcoming election and carries out his pledge to pull out of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, "that would be disastrous."

Latham has vowed to withdraw by Christmas all of Australia's 850 troops from Iraq should he win the election, which Howard is expected to call later this year.

"I think that would be disastrous. It would be a disastrous decision for the leader of a great country like Australia to say that, 'We're pulling out,'" Bush told reporters in a joint news conference after meeting with Howard at the White House Thursday.

Latham responded with a statement Friday morning in which he reaffirmed that he intended to withdraw the Australian forces.

"Labor never wanted the troops there in the first place," he said. "We intend to have them home by Christmas."

But he said he supported Australia's alliance with the United States, saying it was "bigger and stronger" than any mistakes made in relation to Iraq.

In his joint press conference with Howard, Bush said a withdrawal would "dispirit those who love freedom in Iraq."

"It would say that the Australian government doesn't see the hope of a free and democratic society leading to a peaceful world. It would embolden the enemy who believe that they can shake our will.

"See, they want to kill innocent life because they think that the Western world and the free world is weak; that when times get tough, we will shirk our duty to those who long for freedom and we'll leave."

During their meeting, the two leaders discussed "our coalition's progress in Iraq," Bush said.

"We continue to work closely with you and share your aspirations for a free and democratic Iraq," Howard said. "In recent weeks, the news out of Iraq has not been as positive as we would have liked. And the reasons for that are understood. But that has not altered Australia's view."

He added: "This is not a time -- it is the worst time imaginable for allies to be showing any weakness in relation to the pursuit of our goals in Iraq. And I express my strong support for the leadership that the president has continued to display, particularly through some of the more difficult aspects of recent weeks."

After his meeting with Bush, Howard told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that Australia's involvement in Iraq was now "less popular" than it was a few months ago.

"We've had the upsurge in violence, we've had the prisoner abuse issue. It's been a low point the last four or six weeks. And naturally public opinion has shifted to a negative stance," Howard said. "But we're now looking forward to the next stage."

Australia's involvement in the war in Iraq is expected to be a key issue in the election campaign later this year.

Latham led Howard in opinion polls last month, but the latest poll this week has shown a surprising turnaround in support, with Howard's Liberal-National coalition leading Labor by 53 percent to 47 percent on a two-party preferred basis.

Howard has cautioned against reading too much into this poll, saying he believed the contest was still "finely balanced".

Spanish withdrawal

Another U.S. ally, Spain, has already withdrawn its forces from Iraq after a change of government.

Acting on his campaign promise, Spain's new prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, last month withdrew his country's 1,430 troops from Iraq.

He reiterated to reporters Thursday that there is "no possibility" of Spanish troops returning there.

Zapatero ousted Jose Maria Aznar in March elections held three days after a deadly terrorist attack on Madrid's train system.

He had campaigned in part on a pledge to withdraw Spanish troops from the U.S.-led coalition unless the United Nations was given military and political control in Iraq by June 30.

During their meeting in Washington, Bush and Howard discussed Iraq issues that included the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

Bush said that he told Howard that the United States "will conduct a full accounting of the cruel and disgraceful abuse of Iraqi detainees."

Bush said Howard conveyed concerns about the well-being of two Australians held captive by U.S. authorities in Guantanamo. "He strongly reflected his government's and the Australian people's desires to make sure that the Australians being held in Guantanamo are not only treated fairly, but their cases are brought to finality," Bush said.

To that, Howard said Bush had given him assurances "regarding the proper treatment" of the two detainees.

In addition, the leaders discussed a free trade agreement "that would eliminate nearly all tariffs on manufactured goods, open international markets and deepen our strong economic ties," Bush said.

He called on Congress and the Australian parliament to ratify the agreement "as soon as possible."


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