With the "oversight" of the american occupying forces, the interim governing council in Iraq signed a law providing that everything in Iraq is to be privatised and open to full foreign ownership or leasehold for the next 40 years. That includes the oil resources, and all amenities and public services, including health and education.

Any new "democratic" government in Iraq that attempts to repudiate this "law" will undoubtedly meet with forceful retaliation by the american occupying forces and the "coalition of the willing", including Australia.

Thank you Alexander Downer for explaining to us the true meaning of democracy.

"To the victor go the spoils". Nothing has changed in hundreds of years.

I agree with jcl that we now have to stay and see it through to the best possible conclusion.
I think there WERE WMD's but Saddam had time to truck them to Syria. We know for sure Saddam had Sarin gas because he used it on the unfortunate Kurds. A Sarin gas shell was found just a month or so ago. Saddam had defied 12 UN resolutions to prove he had disarmed as per the 1991 Ceasefire. If he had no WMD's why did he frustrate and intimidate the UN Inspectors?
We also have the testimony of Saddam's son-in-law Kamal Hussein who defected in 1995 after being in charge of Saddam's weapons program. He said that the UN Inspectors had missed the stockpile.
Isn't it a fact that VIRTUALLY EVERYONE [including John Kerry and the Australian Labor Caucas] were convinced that Iraq had WMD's? If all these people from political positions across the spectrum thought they had WMD's President Bush would have been accused of negligence had he not taken action to protect his nation and cover his bases on the balance of probabilities. Weapons expert David Kay gave evidence that although he found no WMD's at the time of invasion, there was a sizable WMD system capable of rapid build-up or dispersal as circumstances dictated. I THINK SADDAM WAS VERY CUNNING, BUT NOT QUITE CUNNING ENOUGH!!

Hon Alexander Downer seems to be blissfully ignorant that we went to war on one of the biggest lies of the 21st century. But on reflection perhaps he wishes to ignore this fact because he was one of the few people in this country who was gullible enough to believe it in the first place. I still get a chuckle remembering his incompetence as Opposition Leader ( as one comedian once affectionately called it 'the Downer Months'). Maybe it should be pointed out to 'our Alexander' that Iraq was not the only country in the world to suffer from a despot. I seem to recall a despot in Indonesia, with the blessing of USA killing millions of his own people in the 60s then went on to kill thousands each year ever since then. I believe he is retired and lives comfortably in Jakarta. I never heard the need for the US or Australia ever talk of a pre-emptive strike during his regime in fact they have often aided it.

Al #0 once again you wrong. Think you need to reread the papers and other media from that period there were many experts who were saying Iraq had no weapons chief amoung them was the UN weapons insectors lead by Hans Blinx. There was even a large number of intell peple saying the same thing the the US,UK and Aussie govs. Tell me why Iraq was a bigger threat then say North Korean?

Kenny, to answer your last point first, North Korea, for all its faults, communism, crazy leader, repression et al, has not invaded anyone since 1950. It is certainly a worry, but one thing at a time. Iraq has invaded Iran [1980] and Kuwait in 1990, and fired Scud missiles into Israel.

Iraq also had WMD's and contacts with terrorist groups, which I will attempt to cover as briefly as possible. [a] we know Saddam and his sadistic crazy sons and monsters like "Chemical Ali" used chemical weapons on the Kurds. It has been admitted that they had a stockpile left, some said 10,000 litres. It has never been accounted for. I don't think Saddam destroyed it do you?

[b[ UN Security Council Resolution 1441. passed unanimously in November 2002 recognised" ... the threat Iraq's non-compliance with Council resolutions and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and long range missiles poses to international peace and security." The UN was convinced.

[c] ALP Spokesman Kevin Rudd told Parliament on September 17, 2002 that Saddam " has invaded his neaghbours in complete vioation of International Law, and he is in possession of weapons of mass destruction which in the past he has used against his own people and his neighbours. "None of these matters are the subject of dispute."
The Labor Party was convinced.

[d] Chief Weapons Inspector David Kay stated" Iraq's WMD programs spanned more than two decades, involved thousands of people, billions of dollars, and were elaborately shielded by security and deception operations, that continued even beyond the end of "Operation Freedom".
In response to a question from CNN as to whether the was was worthwhile, Kay responded:"Absolutely, and not just for the Iraq's. "I think the world is far safer. "I actually Saddam and Iraq were becoming more dangerous to us, not less dangerous".
Kay was convinced.

[e[ The Flood Report into Australia's Intelligence Services reported: "The Iraqi leadership retained the ambition and intent to have a WMD program [and there there was indeed a weapons program, if not stockpiles of weapons.." [f] The Butler report into British Intelligence reported that Iraq "... had the strategic intention of resuming the the pursuit of prohibited weapons program, including, if possible, its nuclear program...."Flood and Butler were convinced.

[g] Kay's successor Charles Duelfer reported that Irag was necotiating with North Korea for missiles, and its chemical wapons program could be reactivated at short notice. Duelfer was convinced.

Connections with terrorist organistations [1] In 1994 the deputy director of IIS {the Iraqi Intelligence Service} Faruq Hijazi met Osama bin-laden in Sudan. [2] Iraqi vice-president reportedly met Osama bin-laden in Baghdad in January 1998 and bin-laden's deputy Ayman al Zawahiri in February 1998. The purpose of these meetings was to establish terrorist training camps in an-Nasiriyah and Iraqi Kurdistan.

There are other instances I could quote, but I recall reading that a terrorist training camp had been found in Northern Iraq in the first days of the war,

Iraq hates America. Osama bin-laden hates America. It's logical that they would get together, especially if Osama pledged that no activities would be launched against Saddam as captured documents reveal.

Kenny, you asked me to read up on this, but I don't think any of it has helped your case.