Howard fights public opinion on Iraq

Australian Prime Minister John Howard is trying to woo public support and calm protests after troops left to join United States and British forces in the Middle East preparing for a possible war on Iraq.

Australia, a staunch US ally, is the third Western country to deploy troops to the Gulf - but opinion polls show 62 per cent of Australians are against joining a strike on Iraq without United Nations approval.

Canberra has yet to commit itself to joining a war in Iraq, whether US-led or United Nations-sanctioned, and there is a sharp political divide on the issue.

Howard knows public opinion is against him but hopes to convince voters it is in Australia's long-term interest to stop "rogue" states such as Iraq having weapons of mass destruction.

"I know a lot of people don't agree with me ... but I don't think public opinion on this is settled," Howard told Melbourne radio station 3AW. "I'll listen to the public ... but in the end I have to make a judgment on what I think is right for Australia."

Howard's strong stand on defence and national security has driven his popularity to its highest since he won power in 1996.

Australia farewelled a squadron of elite troops bound for the Gulf yesterday, after waving off 350 troops on Thursday in the face of placard-waving protesters. Another 1500 troops are expected to leave next month.

Howard said sending troops to the area flagged his conservative government's intent, although he hoped the crisis could be resolved peacefully by UN weapons inspections.

The Australian deployment adds to a build-up of more than 100,000 US ground troops and 30,000 British troops in the Middle East.

Washington welcomed Australia's contribution.

"Thanks to the efforts of nations like Australia, the signal that is being sent, that the world is serious, helps enhance the chances for peace," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

But Australia's opposition leader, Labor's Simon Crean, said Howard was wrong to deploy troops before the UN inspectors completed their job and the UN decided on the next step.

Howard said: "This idea that you would wait until there was a final decision before you even deployed, would not only relieve Saddam Hussein of pressure but it would also potentially expose our forces to unnecessary risk and danger. And that's not fair, and it's not something that I'd ever be part of."

- REUTERS

Herald feature: Iraq