Thanks from Allawi

Iraqi PM thanks Australia

From correspondents in Baghdad
February 23, 2005
From: Agence France-Presse
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12345249-2,00.html

IRAQI Prime Minister Iyad Allawi today praised Australia for promising to send an extra 450 troops to Iraq to help protect a Japanese humanitarian mission in the south of the war-torn country.
"He expressed the government and people of Iraq's appreciation of the Australian decision which supports the Iraqi government in spreading security and keeping order to confront terrorism," said a government statement.

In a move that Prime Minister John Howard acknowledged would be politically unpopular, Australia plans to raise its deployment in Iraq from 950 to 1400 troops.
The extra troops were needed after the Netherlands decided to withdraw its 1400-strong military contingent, which had been protecting the Japanese, in the face of strong domestic pressure.

Japan renounced the right to use force in its US-imposed 1947 constitution and its 600 troops in Iraq have not fired their weapons since the start of the deployment in December 2003.
Australia, an original member of US President George W. Bush's coalition of the willing committed 2000 troops to the 2003 invasion, but has since reduced its deployment to about 950.