US rebuffs Labor bid to heal rift

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By Mark Forbes
Foreign Affairs Correspondent
Canberra
June 12, 2004

The Bush Administration has rebuffed Labor's attempts to heal a growing rift over plans to pull Australian troops out of Iraq.

Prime Minister John Howard yesterday claimed that Labor leader Mark Latham's indifference to the alliance would harm the relationship if he was elected. Top US officials are continuing their criticism of Labor's stance on Iraq.

In Washington, Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd yesterday tried to explain Labor's position to US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who continued to say the troop withdrawal would be disastrous.

Mr Latham ducked questions on the comments yesterday, pulling out of a joint press conference with new candidate Peter Garrett. Mr Latham said earlier that he would not get into a debate on US policy.

In an interview to air on the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday, US Secretary of State Colin Powell says: "It would be disastrous for Australia to say, 'Well we see this international consensus, we see this new resolution but we are going to head for the door'. I don't think that's the Australia that I have known and respected for so many decades."



http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/11/1086749893752.html?oneclick=true

Violet....

[bemildred]

1. Shameless bluster now.

Soon to become sniveling and groveling.
There is nothing more degraded than a bully at the mercy of
those he once bullied.