Fed: Australia should not automatically follow US lead

AAP General News (Australia)
08-18-2000
Fed: Australia should not automatically follow US lead

SYDNEY, Aug 18 AAP - Australia should not automatically follow the United States if
the US were to intervene in any future conflict between Taiwan and China, Opposition Leader
Kim Beazley said today.

Mr Beazley told the Sydney Security Forum at the University of Sydney that Australia's
national defence strategy must be one of self-reliance.

"Australia cannot and should not structure its defence force in relation to our alliance,
or potential diplomatic needs," Mr Beazley said.

"We certainly should not structure the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) on the basis
of forward defence contingencies, such as the conflict on the Korean peninsula, conflict
across the Taiwan Strait and conflict in the South China Sea," he said.

But Mr Beazley added that Australia would always have an interest in avoiding regional
security crises such as these.

"We need to contribute to diplomatic strategies aimed at preventing such regional tensions
ever becoming real shooting wars," he said.

Mr Beazley's vision would not preclude Australia from choosing to act in concert with
coalition partners much further afield.

"It certainly would not have stopped us from taking action in East Timor," he said.

The sort of operations that have been asked of the ADF in recent years, such as those
in Somalia, Rwanda and Cambodia, drew upon Australia's mobile land forces.

"These forces have been structured for the operating environment in northern Australia,
where they are now based. But they can be deployed overseas as required," Mr Beazley said.

He said no more important foreign policy issue faced Australia than advancing an engagement
with Asia.

"Building positive engagement with Asia is among other things a critical element in
the task of securing Australia," Mr Beazley said.

But the great external contributor to easing the defence task was Australia's alliance
relationship with the US.

"Labor continues to value the alliance highly ... it is fundamentally important to
Australia's security," he said.

Mr Beazley said the alliance was important because it provided Australia with invaluable
access to unique intelligence, equipment, logistical, training, research and defence benefits
at relatively low cost to the US.

Labor agrees with the US on the National Missile Defence (NMD) policy that the proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile delivery systems constitutes the
most serious threat to international security.

"But we disagree with the NMD system to counter the threat. Deployment would require
a rewriting of one of the oldest arms control treaties, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty,"

Mr Beazley said.

AAP alt/ah/hu/bwl

KEYWORD: DEFENCE BEAZLEY

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