Australian PM will ignore terror attack threat

CANBERRA - Australia will ignore threats of attack by a group claiming to be the European wing of al Qaeda and will not negotiate with terror groups, Prime Minister John Howard said on Monday.

The Islamic Tawhid Group said in a statement posted on a website it would attack Italy and Australia with "columns of rigged cars" if they did not withdraw their troops from Iraq.

"We are still investigating the authenticity and relevance of that body, but we will not take any notice of threats of that kind," Howard, a close ally of US President George W Bush, told reporters in Sydney.

"We will not parlay and negotiate with terrorists and I believe the overwhelming majority of the Australian public will agree with us," said Howard, who sent 2000 troops to the US-led war on Iraq,

On Wednesday, the previously unheard of Islamic Tawhid Group also threatened Bulgaria and Poland with attacks if they did not leave Iraq.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Sunday that the decision by Spain and the Philippines to withdraw troops from Iraq had encouraged terror groups.

Howard last week defended his decision to join the war in Iraq after a report criticised Australia's intelligence agencies and their assessments of pre-war information.

He is adamant that Australia's 850 troops in and around Iraq will stay as long as necessary. A poll has shown two-thirds of Australians support his stand.

However, the opposition Labour party, polling neck-and-neck with the eight-year-old conservative government, has pledged to bring troops home by Christmas if it wins office in a close-run election tipped for October.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq