Bush, Australian Leader Still in Accord on Iraq

Australian Prime Minister John Howard agreed Tuesday with President Bush that it would be unwise to set a deadline for withdrawing troops from Iraq.

Howard, standing beside Bush in the East Room of the White House after meetings that showcased their alliance, recalled the millions of Iraqis who risked their lives in January to vote in the first free and fair election of the country’s modern history.

“I think we have to pay some regard to that,” Howard said. “That is a cause worth fighting for, and it’s a cause worth promoting and supporting.”

Bush said setting a timetable for troop withdrawals would embolden the insurgency and lessen the chance that Iraq’s democratic efforts would succeed.

“There’s a great temptation to get me or John to put a timetable on our actions there,” the president said. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would you tell the enemy how long you’re going to stay somewhere?”

Howard said, “We will stay the distance in Iraq. We won’t go until the job has been finished.” Australian troops number 1,400 in and around Iraq.

The two conservative leaders emphasized what they have in common, including a sizable opposition in their nations to the military presence in Iraq. Howard noted, though, that the opposition wasn’t strong enough to kick either man out of office in elections last year.

The two leaders also agreed on the need to keep a foreign military presence in Afghanistan. Howard announced last week that an additional 150 elite Australian troops would go to that country by September to help quell insurgent violence there.