Anti war public opposition is mounting in Australia

LUDWIGGSHAFEN, Germany, January 17 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Germany Defense Minister said on Friday, January 17, that it is not conceivable for Germany to vote for an attack on Iraq at the UN Security Council, as Australian Defense Minister Robert Hill said Iraq arms are suspicious but no trigger for war.

These comments came amid anti war public opinion in both countries. In the German city of Dresden, thousands of people demonstrated on Thursday, January 16, against a possible war on Iraq, while Australia's school teachers called on the government Friday to cancel plans to send military forces to the Gulf in preparation for a possible war with Iraq.

Germany Defense Minister said in an interview published on Friday that it is not conceivable for Germany to vote in favor of military action against Iraq at the UN Security Council, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

A yes vote is "fundamentally no longer conceivable", Peter Struck Struck told the regional daily Rheinpfalz.

Germany, which became a non-permanent member of the Security Council on January 1 and takes over from France as its president on February 1, has so far studiously refused to say how it would vote on any possible resolution authorizing a strike against Baghdad.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Tuesday, January14, spoke out publicly for the first time in favor of a second UN resolution being adopted before any military action can be launched against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

In November the Security Council adopted resolution 1441, which sent UN inspectors back into Iraq to verify Baghdad’s alleged weapons of mass destruction.

That resolution did not specify whether another Security Council vote was needed to authorize military action.

Schroeder's center-left government has had a difficult time balancing German public opinion -- the latest poll showed that 81 percent of Germans believe the possible war on Iraq is unjustified -- and being a strong NATO ally of Washington.

Anti war demonstration

Thousands of people took part in a demonstration on Thursday, January 16, evening in the eastern city of Dresden against a possible war on Iraq, police said.

The German government has ruled out the participation of German troops in any attack on Iraq but has given the United States permission to move its troops and aircraft from bases in Germany to the Gulf.

Struck downplayed the importance of any Security Council vote, saying the ultimate decision about a war against Iraq “rested” with U.S. President George W. Bush.

The defense minister acknowledged that Germany's relations with the United States were currently strained.

"We cannot deny that at the moment it's difficult," he said.

But he said the German-U.S. relationship was sufficiently strong to overcome the difficulties.

"If we tell them: 'We're not going to follow you on this one', then that doesn't please them, but they'd like it even less if we beat around the bush," he said regarding the German-U.S. disagreements over Iraq.

Only the five permanent members of the Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- have the power to veto any decisions.

The 10 non-permanent members do not but all resolutions must obtain at least nine out of the Council's 15 votes in order to be adopted.

Iraq arms find suspicious but no trigger for war: Australia

In Sydney, Australia said Friday that the discovery of empty chemical warheads in Iraq by UN inspectors underscored fears Baghdad was lying about its arms programs, but did not amount to a trigger for war.

"It's a further piece of worrying information, because these shells are prohibited shells under the UN resolution," Defense Minister Robert Hill said.

Hill rejected an Iraqi claim the 11 empty warheads discovered Thursday were obsolete weapons that had already been declared to the UN in a statement last month.

He said the warheads were not mentioned in Iraqi statements, reinforcing fears of "an ongoing deception" by Iraq about its possession of any weapons of mass destruction.

But he added, "Rather than draw too many dramatic conclusions from each event as it occurs, we will report the event and we await the UN inspectors report in due course."

Australia last week announced it would join the U.S.-led buildup of military forces in the Gulf in preparation for a possible invasion of Iraq.

But the government has insisted no final decision about joining a war has been made and has said UN inspectors need more time to gather evidence before such a move could be contemplated.

The Australian opposition, which opposes any war without clear UN authorization, said the latest discovery showed that the peaceful UN inspections were making headway and should be given more time before any war preparations are made.

"It further demonstrates that the UN weapons inspectors should be allowed to continue to do their job until they have reached concluding reports and reported back to the UN Security Council in New York," Labor Party spokesman Kevin Rudd said.

"It's the Security Council that should then deliberate on what further action should be taken against Iraq," he said.

Australian teachers tell government to stay out of Iraq war

Meanwhile public opposition to Australian involvement in the military buildup in the Gulf grew Friday as a union representing the country's 155,000 teachers demanded the deployment be cancelled.

The Australian Education Union said war with Iraq would put children's lives at risk and divert scarce resources away from education and health.

"No child's life should be lost to such a pointless war -- be that child Australian or Iraqi," union president Denis Fitzgerald said after the issue was discussed by the union's national conference.

"Attacking Iraq to achieve a change in regime is not only illegal but a threat to international stability and likely to be counter productive," he said.

"Not only will it fuel insecurity and poverty and threaten wider conflict in the Middle East and beyond, it will also strengthen the resolve of the repressive Iraqi government."

The union called for Australian navy vessels currently enforcing the blockade on Iraq to be immediately withdrawn "to avoid any implication of involvement in a pre-emptive strike."

Recent opinion polls show most Australians are not convinced the country should join in a war against Iraq.

But Hill said earlier this week the government would go to war if deemed necessary even without UN authorization and without regard to public opinion at home.

"The AEU is committed to the building of the widest coalition of anti-war forces ever seen in Australia," he said.

"We'll encourage citizens to overwhelmingly reject Howard's rush to war in Iraq."