Australian minister rejects setting Iraq deadlines

WASHINGTON - Australia shares the US government's opposition to setting a time limit to military deployments in Iraq, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said today.

"We, like the Americans, are not going to be held hostage to any artificial deadline," he told a small group of reporters in Washington after he held talks with Vice President Dick Cheney.

Australia was one of the first nations to commit forces to the Iraq war and now has about 1300 military personnel in and around Iraq.

Nelson said the defeat in the US Senate last week of Democratic Party measures calling for withdrawal of US forces from Iraq showed that Australians and Americans were in agreement on the need to stay in the country until it can govern itself and provide for security.

"Australia remains very strongly of the view that it's not a question of setting some sort of artificial deadline, it's a question of making sure that we see the job through," he said.

"From our point of view there has been progress made over the last three years in Iraq, notwithstanding the evil acts that we see reported on a daily basis by insurgents, terrorists and others," said Nelson.

Asked about surging violence in Afghanistan, where Australia has 430 troops, Nelson said: "Activity is increasing in Afghanistan, particularly Taleban-related activity, because we are making progress."

He said Canberra was assessing the situation in Afghanistan every month, but added: "At this stage we don't see any need to commit any further resources to Afghanistan."

- REUTERS