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BBC Monitoring Quotes From Australian Press 12 Aug 05

Posted on: Thursday, 11 August 2005, 18:00 CDT

The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and commentaries published in 12 August editions of Australian newspapers available to BBC Monitoring:

Iran's nuclear dilemma

Melbourne's The Age: www.theage.com.au "Iran claims it wants nuclear power to generate electricity. The US believes that Iran wants to process uranium to make nuclear weapons and says Iran has deceived International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors for years about the extent of its nuclear activities. Consequently, Iran's decision to go ahead with the processing and enrichment of uranium despite the determined entreaties of the European Union presents the world with an enormous and ultimately dangerous problem..."

"Iran needs to come up with some better reasoning than it has so far as to why it needs to process uranium. Otherwise, in view of the offer on the table, the assumption that it wishes ultimately to pursue a weapons programme is reasonable. If Iran cannot justify its position, there seems no other option than the imposition of economic and military sanctions. That in itself is a potentially perilous course, as the war in Iraq has shown. For Australia, which is moving to free up the supply of its uranium to the world, the unexpected end consequences of this trade are also worth considering". (Editorial) (12)

Iraq troop withdrawal

Sydney's The Australian: www.theaustralian.news com.au "George Casey, the commander of US forces in Iraq, has announced that the US intends to begin a "fairly substantial" withdrawal of US forces from Iraq soon after the projected December elections establish a constitutional government. Other sources have indicated that this will involve 30,000 troops, or about 22 per cent of the total US forces in Iraq. The withdrawal is said to be made possible by improvements in the security situation and progress in the training of Iraqi forces to replace American troops. But how are these terms to be defined? In a war without front lines, does a lull indicate success or a strategic decision by the adversary? Is a decline in enemy attacks due to attrition or to a deliberate enemy strategy of conserving forces to encourage American withdrawal?..."

"American strategy, including a withdrawal process, will stand or fall not on whether it maintains the existing security situation but whether the capacity to improve it is enhanced..."

"A withdrawal schedule should be accompanied by some political initiative inviting an international framework for Iraq's future. Some of our allies may prefer to act as bystanders, but reality will not permit this for their own safety. Their cooperation is needed, not so much for the military as for the political task, which will test, above all, the West's statesmanship in shaping a global system relevant to its necessities". (Henry Kissinger, former US secretary of state and national security adviser, is chairman of Kissinger Associates in New York) (12)

Sources: As listed

Source: BBC Monitoring Newsfile

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