Beazley queries troop deployment
February 23, 2005

From: AAP
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12344247-2,00.html

OPPOSITION leader Kim Beazley last night demanded Prime Minister John Howard reveal whether he planned to send reinforcements into Iraq if the latest troop deployment was insufficient.

Mr Howard has doubled Australia's military commitment in Iraq but Mr Beazley warned the extra 450 troops may not be enough to protect Japanese engineers in Iraq.

The Australians, who will go in Iraq in 10 weeks' time, will replace 1400 Dutch soldiers - two of whom were killed during their deployment in the relatively peaceful Al Muthanna province.
"I have a very serious question mark over where this policy is going to take us," Mr Beazley told ABC television.
"450 troops are replacing 1400 - that was the number that the Netherlands had doing essentially the same task.
"Our troops are good, probably better than just about anyone else's, but that's a very, very small number in comparison to the numbers that they had.

"And what the prime minister needs to do is to level with us.
"He hasn't levelled with us prior to this commitment, he must level with us now.
"Will he reinforce them if they find themselves in serious trouble?"
Mr Beazley said Australians should not be protecting engineers rebuilding war-torn Iraq and should not be training Iraqi security forces.
"No, I don't think that is the way our engagement should go," he replied when asked if Australia should help in security training.

"I'm saying we shouldn't put the 450 in for any of the purposes that have been outlined for them.
"I'm not saying it because I wish the Iraqis ill, I'm not saying that we should pull out all Australians and simply leave them to stew in their own juice, and I'm not saying we shouldn't have commitments to them in regard to economic aid.

"But I am saying that we are being drawn into a quagmire here where 450 in the end may not be sufficient."
Mr Beazley said Australian troops should be in the local region rather than in Iraq.