29 June 2006
U.S., Australian Defense Ministers Affirm Continued Cooperation
Rumsfeld, Nelson reject timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq
Washington -- The United States and Australia have fought side by side in many areas since World War I and will continue to do so, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Australian Minister of Defense Brendan Nelson said in a joint press conference on June 28.
Rumsfeld praised the performance of Australia's military and the leadership of the Australian government in maintaining security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
"They are a country that we train with, we exercise with, and we work -- and very effectively -- with today in any number of activities," he said.
Nelson, in Washington for his first official visit as minister of defense, said the two countries' partnership has survived for nearly 90 years because of shared values.
"We believe that the freedom of human beings is best served by liberal democracy and free enterprise," he said.
The defense officials stressed the importance of continued cooperation -- particularly in resisting terrorism. Nelson said Australia is increasing substantially its defense expenditures and is determined to increase the interoperability of U.S. and Australian defense forces.
"We remain with you, shoulder to shoulder, to support the heavy lifting in Iraq and Afghanistan and other theatres, including in our own region, for the foreseeable future," he said.
AUSTRALIA WILL MAINTAIN TROOP LEVELS IN IRAQ
Nelson said Australia will maintain its current troop levels in Iraq -- a total of about 1350 personnel in the country overall.
"We are there until the job in Iraq is done," he said.
The defense minister said 460 Australian troops have been providing security for a contingent of about 600 Japanese engineers engaged in humanitarian and reconstruction work in the southern Iraqi province of Al Muthanna.
With the Japanese scheduled to withdraw by the end of July as the government of Iraq takes over security responsibilities for the province, the Australian forces will be redeployed to several locations, Nelson said.
"We'll have 30 of our people at the basic training center at Tallil; we'll have another 33 at the counterinsurgency unit at Taji, 20 kilometers north of Baghdad," he said. "We'll be providing mentoring and training and support for border patrols along the Saudi border in the southern end, once we are redeployed. And … under the circumstances we've been negotiating with the Iraqis, the U.S., the British and our coalition partners, we'll also be providing backup to the Iraqi security forces in Al Muthanna."
The takeover of security responsibilities by Australian-trained Iraqi forces in Al Muthanna is an "important milestone phase," Nelson said.
"This is about the Iraqi people in Al Muthanna taking control of their own affairs and us being there to provide support," he said.
TIMETABLE FOR WITHDRAWAL REJECTED
Rumsfeld declined to speculate on a report from the Associated Press that 11 Sunni insurgent groups in Iraq had offered to stop attacks on U.S.-led military forces if President Bush sets a two-year timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.
"There are periodic reports of that type," he said.
The secretary focused instead on the need for a reconciliation process and the proposal put forward by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
"He has opened that subject up for discussion, debate, and I'm sure that [the Iraqi] parliament and the various interested parties in the country will engage it," Rumsfeld said. "And over some period of time, there will be a process."
Pressed further on whether a timetable for withdrawal might be offered in exchange for a reduction in violence, Rumsfeld said President Bush does not consider such an approach useful.
"It is a signal to the enemies that all you have to do is just wait, and it's yours," he said. "And the president -- properly, in my view -- and our coalition partners have said that it is condition-based, it depends on the pace at which the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi government are able to assume responsibility for their country."
Nelson said Australia endorsed that approach.
IRAQI FORCES WILL ASSUME GREATER RESPONSIBILITIES
Rumsfeld said he and President Bush had met with General George Casey, the U.S. commander in Iraq. The secretary said Casey is headed back to Iraq, where he will meet with the ministers of defense and interior.
"[T]hey will be discussing how they think it's appropriate for us to continue passing over bases, and passing over provinces, and passing over various military responsibilities to the Iraqi security forces as they're able to assume those responsibilities," he said.
The defense secretary declined to set deadlines for this process, saying only that he would have no announcements until the general reported back on the results of his consultations with Iraqi officials.
"How long it will take is an open question," he said. "But we continue to believe that we're there to succeed. … And the new government is taking important steps forward, I believe, and making good decisions with respect to a reconciliation process."
"I think that's, obviously, exactly what a new government should do, and we'll see where it comes out."
For more information, see Iraq Update.
The transcript of the press conference can be found at the Department of Defense Web site.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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