Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
The Australian
February 25, 2008 By Greg Sheridan, Foreign editor
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has hailed Australia as America's closest ally and friend, and praised the work of our troops in Afghanistan.
Mr Gates said the US appreciated Australia's "principal leadership" in the region, especially in Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
Echoing a theme frequently reinforced by Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon, Mr Gates stressed the global partnership between the US and Australia.
"We also appreciate Australia's global leadership," Mr Gates said, committing the US to working with Australia "to advance our shared interests in the wars inIraq and Afghanistan, fighting terrorism across the globe, countering weapons of mass destruction proliferation, co-ordinating humanitarian relief and strengthening our ties in many otherareas."
Mr Gates and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte held the annual Australia US Ministerial talks (AUSMIN) in Canberra on Saturday with Mr Smith and Mr Fitzgibbon, followed by dinner at The Lodge with Kevin Rudd.
Mr Gates said Australia was making an important contribution in Afghanistan, adding: "I think the Australians have the respect of all the people on the front line."
He played down the possibility that Australia might buy the F-22 Raptor, although he said he would make inquiries into the possibility of changing US laws prohibiting export sales of the Raptor.
Mr Gates said the Taliban's lack of military success against coalition troops in Afghanistan was likely to see it switch to more terrorism, "more attacks on school teachers, more (homemade bombs)", designed to "sap coalition will and bring discredit to the Afghan Government".
"We've had military success," he said, "but while we can clear, we don't always have enough troops to hold. The answer in the long term is the Afghan national army. It will need new efforts in training the Afghan army and police, also on the civil side of the process, economic development, governance." He also pointed out that the US has substantially increased its troop commitment to Afghanistan.
He was hopeful more NATO nations might decide to enhance their commitments, and that this was likely to occur at the NATO Bucharest summit in April, which will be attended by Mr Rudd, the first to be attended by an Australian prime minister.
On Iraq, Mr Gates made it clear that he saw the Rudd Government as continuing to support the US-led war, despite the decision to withdraw 500 Australian combat troops from Iraq.
"There has been a lot of dialogue between the Australian military and (US commander in Iraq General David) Petraeus about what (Australian) troops remaining in non-combat roles could do to help, perhaps training and mentoring Iraqis," he said.
As The Australian revealed on Saturday, Australia is considering an increased training program for Iraqi troops to be conducted in Australia.
Mr Gates foreshadowed the early ratification by Congress of the US-Australia Treaty on Defence Trade Co-operation, potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the Australian defence industry as it will grant privileged access to the vast US defence budget.
Mr Gates told The Australian yesterday that the Bush administration had been involved in the process of whittling down the list of products exempted from the treaty. Its exclusions were almost identical to those in a similar treaty the US had struck with Britain. "The Congress wants both those treaties submitted together," he said.
"The Department of Defence will turn it over within a matter ofdays to the Department of State and we hope it will go to Congress for ratification perhaps by March."
February 25, 2008 By Greg Sheridan, Foreign editor
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has hailed Australia as America's closest ally and friend, and praised the work of our troops in Afghanistan.
Mr Gates said the US appreciated Australia's "principal leadership" in the region, especially in Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
Echoing a theme frequently reinforced by Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon, Mr Gates stressed the global partnership between the US and Australia.
"We also appreciate Australia's global leadership," Mr Gates said, committing the US to working with Australia "to advance our shared interests in the wars inIraq and Afghanistan, fighting terrorism across the globe, countering weapons of mass destruction proliferation, co-ordinating humanitarian relief and strengthening our ties in many otherareas."
Mr Gates and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte held the annual Australia US Ministerial talks (AUSMIN) in Canberra on Saturday with Mr Smith and Mr Fitzgibbon, followed by dinner at The Lodge with Kevin Rudd.
Mr Gates said Australia was making an important contribution in Afghanistan, adding: "I think the Australians have the respect of all the people on the front line."
He played down the possibility that Australia might buy the F-22 Raptor, although he said he would make inquiries into the possibility of changing US laws prohibiting export sales of the Raptor.
Mr Gates said the Taliban's lack of military success against coalition troops in Afghanistan was likely to see it switch to more terrorism, "more attacks on school teachers, more (homemade bombs)", designed to "sap coalition will and bring discredit to the Afghan Government".
"We've had military success," he said, "but while we can clear, we don't always have enough troops to hold. The answer in the long term is the Afghan national army. It will need new efforts in training the Afghan army and police, also on the civil side of the process, economic development, governance." He also pointed out that the US has substantially increased its troop commitment to Afghanistan.
He was hopeful more NATO nations might decide to enhance their commitments, and that this was likely to occur at the NATO Bucharest summit in April, which will be attended by Mr Rudd, the first to be attended by an Australian prime minister.
On Iraq, Mr Gates made it clear that he saw the Rudd Government as continuing to support the US-led war, despite the decision to withdraw 500 Australian combat troops from Iraq.
"There has been a lot of dialogue between the Australian military and (US commander in Iraq General David) Petraeus about what (Australian) troops remaining in non-combat roles could do to help, perhaps training and mentoring Iraqis," he said.
As The Australian revealed on Saturday, Australia is considering an increased training program for Iraqi troops to be conducted in Australia.
Mr Gates foreshadowed the early ratification by Congress of the US-Australia Treaty on Defence Trade Co-operation, potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the Australian defence industry as it will grant privileged access to the vast US defence budget.
Mr Gates told The Australian yesterday that the Bush administration had been involved in the process of whittling down the list of products exempted from the treaty. Its exclusions were almost identical to those in a similar treaty the US had struck with Britain. "The Congress wants both those treaties submitted together," he said.
"The Department of Defence will turn it over within a matter ofdays to the Department of State and we hope it will go to Congress for ratification perhaps by March."