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:: Tuesday 3 May 2005 ::
Thanks, Reuters
I know, weird to write that, huh?
This is a piece about Robert Hills' candid comments that he wishes for Douglas Woods' release safely and he and the gumment is working to achieve that end, but he is not confident of release cos the history of kidnappings is not good in Iraq.
[NB: Technically Hill is wrong about that - more have been released alive than have been slaughtered by the Brave Iraqi resistance of pig thug kidnapping madmen - do not ask me for a lnk to that informazione, but I found it yesterday so it is around.]
But anyhoo, the point of this post is the extra 4 paragraphs Reuters appends to this short go nowhere piece:
Australia, a staunch U.S. ally, was among the first to join the U.S.-led war on Iraq two years ago.
A further 450 Australian troops are due in Iraq in coming weeks to provide security and train the army, bringing the total number of its troops in and around Iraq to about 1,400.
Opinions polls showed in May last year that nearly two-thirds of Australians believed the war on Iraq was unjustified.
Howard won a fourth straight term at an election last October by crushing center-left opposition Labor, whose leader had vowed to bring Australian troops home by Christmas.
To parse this: - Oz honours the real meaning of the term "alliance"; - Oz is committed to helping Iraqis get on their feet as the troop numbers show; - Opinion polls do not count for anything, only voting counts; - More voters than ever endorsed Oz's alliance and its actions in Iraq.
Take that, Philippinos - remember how they withdrew their troops for a truckdriver father of, was it 10 kids? Great to save his life. Pretty lousy to sell your international reputation to filthy kidnapping scum but.
Everything is crossed for Douglas Woods' release alive and unhurt and for the capture and punishment of his kidnappers.
:: WB 2:21 am [link+] ::
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