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It is a wake-up call to some neighbors that they need to better police themselves: Armitage
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With
additional reporting by Lamya Tawfik, IOL Cairo Staff
SYDNEY,
December 10 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Australian Prime
Minister John Howard has won new support for his stand on pre-emptive
strikes from Japan and the United States, which said it was a wake-up
call to Asian nations to rid themselves of terrorism.
On
the eve of a visit to the Asia-Pacific region, U.S. deputy secretary of
state Richard Armitage told the Australian Financial Review Howard’s
real message was that Asian nations have to try their utmost to police
themselves better.
“I
very much appreciate and support the Prime Minister’s statement,”
Washington’s second-ranked diplomat said before leaving for South
Korea, Japan, China and Australia for talks on the U.S. campaign to
disarm Iraq.
“It
was also a wake-up call to some neighbors that they need to better
police themselves and rid themselves of the scourge of terrorism.
“The
real message is that they have to make the utmost efforts to police
themselves, because then there is no need for anyone to pre-empt any
threats.”
Japan
became the first Asian nation to endorse Howard's declaration last week
that he would order pre-emptive strikes against suspected terrorists in
neighboring countries as a last resort.
Its
counter-terrorism ambassador, Hiroshi Shigeta, told Australian
newspaper, The Age, he was “comfortable” with Australia’s
position, which he said had originally been misrepresented by
journalists.
Speaking
in Tokyo, Shigeta said when he read a full transcript of Howard’s
remarks, he considered Australia was “in favor of respecting
international law.”
Armitage
did not name the countries he was referring to, although the strongest
criticism of Howard’s comments came from Malaysia, Indonesia, the
Philippines and, to a lesser extent Thailand.
But
he complimented Indonesia’s investigation of the Bali bombings which
has so far netted most of those suspected of plotting the attack in
which around 190 people died, almost half of them Australian.
“The
Indonesian authorities look to be intent upon getting to the bottom of
it and they seem to be making good progress. I hope they catch every
last one, I hope they do, I hope they rip ‘em up, root and branch.”
He
said pre-emption had long been in the U.S. policy arsenal, adding: “We
used it most recently in Panama 10 years ago. We went in there in a
pre-emptive way, that's not new.”
Armitage
is due to arrive Friday, December 13, at a time Australia is preoccupied
by concerns about terrorism and efforts to strengthen defenses against
it in the aftermath of the Bali bombing.
Armitage
expressed confidence Howard would provide the help Washington would need
in the event of a decision to go to war with Iraq, describing Australia
as “fantastically supportive” of the global war on terror.
In
an interview with IslamOnline, Thomas Haidon, an
American attorney and activist residing in Wellington, New Zealand, said
that the statement given by Howard, in which he asserts that Australia
will not hesitate to us “pre-emptive measures” to act against
terrorists in foreign nations “holds far reaching and problematic
implications for the future of Australian and South East Asian
relations, Oceania, the “war on terror”, and international law and
the foundations and principles of the United Nations Charter.”
He
said that Howard’s statements “have further strained a practically
untenable diplomatic relationship with Indonesia, and Islamic South
Asia.
“It
is not unreasonable for Indonesia, and Malaysia to a lesser extent to
believe themselves the intended target of Howard’s message, because of
the events at Bali and the presence of Jemmah Islamilya in both
countries.
“Howard
has significantly risked damaging fragile diplomatic and economic
relationships between
Australia, Indonesia, and to an extent Malaysia,” he said, adding that
Australia is slowly backing away as a partner in Asian and Pacific
cooperation and moving towards that of a monopolizing and
quasi-imperialist power that may use the threat of force and/or economic
aid and cooperation to coerce or “convince” these countries to avail
itself to the “war on terror”.
Haidon
also added that Howard’s remarks “may have a deleterious effect on
international law, and the United Nations system.”
“The
United Nations Charter, the theoretical embodiment of international law
contains established procedures and safeguards regarding the use of
force against nations,” he said adding that this is included in
Article 51 of the Charter.
He
feels that Howard’s words is a “victory for the United States, and
to a lesser extent Great Britain. The United States has formally secured
a key ally to combat at what it perceives to be one of the centers of
global terrorism, in Malaysia and Indonesia.”
Howard
said that Australia has taken measures, and effectuated foreign policies
that are strikingly similar to those of the United States; in particular
are Australia’s policies and cooperation with the United States in
Afghanistan, Iraq and the global “war on terror”.
He
added that Australia, with the aid and abetment of the United States is
certainly capable of carrying out pre-emptive strikes on foreign
nations.
“The
White House has pledged its support for Mr. Howard’s assertion.
Australia is now ready to join the exclusive enclave of the United
States, Great Britain, and Israel the most prominent of nations to
embrace the doctrine of anticipatory-self defense/pre-emption.”
