Fed: Aust's relations not damaged by first-strike comment: PM
CANBERRA, Dec 3 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard today denied his comments about possiblepre-emptive action against terrorists in other countries had damaged Australia's relationswith its neighbours.
Mr Howard said on Sunday he was prepared to attack if he knew foreign-based terroristswere planning to attack Australia, and suggested amending international law and the UNCharter to permit pre-emptive strikes.
He subsequently faced a barrage of criticism from regional governments and at homefor the remarks.
Mr Howard, who held talks with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare today,said the comments had not hurt Australia's relations with other countries.
"I don't believe that our relations have been damaged by those statements at all,"
he told reporters.
"I think they are known and understood for what they are and that is a statement of the obvious.
"I don't resile in any way from them."
Mr Howard said he had made the remarks very carefully, in a very low-key fashion.
"They were quite accurate," he said.
"Self-evidently they were not directed at any of our friends and anybody who read thoseremarks would come to that conclusion.
"The words are clear, simple, direct, people understand what they mean (and) they don'tmean any bellicosity towards our friends.
"They are a statement of the obvious in relation to the most elementary and fundamentalresponsibilities of government."
AAP dep/sw/apm/bwl
KEYWORD: TERROR HOWARD
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