Many months ago I suggested that there had been a 'secret' deal behind events leading to Australia's Iraqi wheat scandal. Well here it is, finally coming to the surface.
…documents reveal Australia would provide military support for the US on the condition its wheat trade was protected.
At a meeting in August 2002 in Alexander Downer's Canberra office, the Prime Minister, John Howard, senior government officials and executives from the wheat exporter AWB discussed the outlook for Australia's sales.
Documents from that meeting show how a plan developed to tie military support to trade protection. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade record of conversation shows Downer suggested Australian support for the US would benefit "Australia's commercial position in Iraq".
In one dispatch, a Foreign Affairs official reported Downer telling Powell words to the effect that the US could "forget Aussie support in future" if America flooded Iraq with wheat after the war.
Downer stipulated that his request for Australia's Iraqi sales to be protected be formally recorded in the minutes of his meetings with Powell.
Senior Australian officials in Washington were instructed to press the issue at every opportunity.
Once the war began, the wheat issue was never far from the Government's mind.
If you still labor under the idea that the Iraq war is abouit noble ideals, think again. THis is nothing more than a sordid, trade driven adventure.
7 comments:
Australia is one of America's strongest allies. I don't think wheat would stand in the way of the Aussies helping us out. That means helping us out in Iraq as well - but why be against that, when it's helping themselves, too? Wouldn't al-Qaida agree with you on this one? I am sure they would.
Do you stand with terrorist idealism?
Every single Australian I have ever met, they've always been very friendly and outgoing people. I just met an Aussie in St. Maarten two weeks ago. He was a Geologist taking some down time and taking in some sun over at Orient Beach. We spoke for hours and passed many rounds over the bar.
Funny thing, I found out that most Aussies don't like Foster's!
My brother had the wonderful opportunity of pulling into Australia when he was a crewmember of the USS Missouri back in the early eighties.
Do you stand with terrorist idealism?
That is a very shallow question. I respect those take considered descisions, and I don't disregard people like your brother.
If you had taken time to research this story, and your your comment, you would understand that there is a lamentable side aspect to this crisis.
The fact is, Australia, like the US, will look after their own interests first.
No, we don't like Fosters, or Crocodile Dundee or any of the other cheap windowdressing.
I recall, back in the 60's, hosting some crew from USS Enterprise. The poor bloody kids wanted a home cooked meal in an ordinary family setting.
And that war was also a crock!
Anon, your point might be a little idealistic. Nations always act in their best interests. If you believe the invasion and occupation of Iraq was undertaken with noble aims in mind, by any of the coalition members, you might want to take a deeper look to see if you're being misled.
On the subject of Aussie stories, my father always spoke warmly of the family who housed him when his army unit was shipped to Australia in WWII. It always surprised me that soldiers were quartered in private homes in this day and age.
As the story from WWII goes, the yanks were overbearing, oversexed and over here - Australia.
But, except for MacArtur, who was just overbearing, they were welcomed warmly.
My story from the sixties is the same. We thought we would find a bunch of obnoxious, whoring bastards.
Instead we found kids our age who were scared shitless (Vietnam) and wanted nothing more than to be with normal families.
Life is, of course, full of dichotomies. We can take nothing for granted, assume nothing.
Bingo Cartledge.
It all boils down to money. Every damn time. It even gets kind of boring sometimes when you look at it like that.
So where is the reportage on this one? Where is the liberal-biased media seizing on every opportunity to discredit the war?
Nowhere to be found.
Funny, the liberal media shows no mention of the WMD recently found in Iraq, but no, wait, it's NOT there, because CBS and ABC never mentioned it, so WE know the truth, right gang??
I really wouldn't know anon, I don't watch American TV.
But I understand the WMD you refer to was Desert Storm era and quite degraded.
Unless you can show documentary evidence to refute the evidence - not MacNews - that I have seen you might be a little more courteous in your comments.
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