Aussie PM forced to apologise for misleading Parliament on Iraqi torture

[the Kelly Gang]

"I'm sorry I misled on abuse: Howard
By John Kerin
June 02, 2004

JOHN Howard has been forced to apologise for misleading the public over what Australian military and defence officials knew about allegations of serious abuse in Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison.

In an embarrassing revelation, the Prime Minister said senior defence officials - including Defence Force chief General Peter Cosgrove and Defence Department secretary Ric Smith - had misled him over a statement he made to parliament last week that defence officials had learned of the serious abuse allegations only in January.

Mr Howard told parliament last week that Defence had told him an October report from the International Committee of the Red Cross canvassed concerns only about detainee conditions and not about serious mistreatment."


http://theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9719920%255E601,00.html

[Bozita]

1. Maybe Kelli Arena could report on this for CNN

If I were an assignment editor for CNN, this'd be a no-brainer.

[foreigncorrespondent]

2. Misled my ass!

He out right lied! Bloody little pile of Bush* dung!

[floda]

3. most interesting part

But after prolonged questioning in a Senate inquiry over the past two days, it emerged that seven military lawyers visited Abu Ghraib, and the lawyer at the centre of the political storm, Major George O'Kane, provided legal advice to the US unit responsible for abuses after concerns were raised by the Red Cross in its October report. "I have been told by the Defence Department that the (Red Cross) working papers of October-November, largely a discussion of prison conditions and possibilities for improvement (at Abu Ghraib) ... also canvassed allegations of

[struggle4progress]

4. If ICRC report got to Howard by October ...

then they should have gotten to POTUS by then, too.

[JoFerret]

5. This is true

time for the media to do its job.