Aussie Prime Minister slams U.S. intelligence cooperation

Australia currently has 1,400 troops in Iraq, down from a high of 1,900

JOHN Howard has attacked the Pentagon for ignoring an order from George W. Bush to share top-level intelligence on Iraq with Australia's military planners, forcing the Prime Minister to complain to the US President.

Mr Howard confirmed yesterday he was angry at the Pentagon's decision to restrict Australia's access to its intelligence network on Iraq, and said he had complained directly to Mr Bush twice to clear the military veto.

"Some of these agencies operate like a law unto themselves," he said yesterday. "I wasn't very happy with those delays."

In an extraordinary attack on the defence chiefs of Australia's closest military ally, Mr Howard said he had protested to Mr Bush to ensure Australia had unfettered access to the network.

In July 2004, Mr Bush signed a directive supported by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and acting Central Intelligence Agency director John McLaughlin stipulating that laws preventing foreign powers seeing highly classified intelligence would no longer apply to Australia and Britain when they were planning for combat operations, training with the Americans or engaged in counter-terrorism activities.

But Mr Howard was forced to intervene a second time some months later when it became clear the US military headquarters was still delaying, despite the White House request.

"The point I made was that the commitment the President gave to me had to be delivered," Mr Howard said. "That's why I intervened, and I am now advised the flows are occurring that are meant to occur.

"Bear in mind Australia and Britain are given specially privileged access to American intelligence assessments.

"There is always a degree of inter-agency jealousy about anybody having access to these things, even very close allies, and it did take a lot of pushing. Even the President doesn't always get what he wants straight away."

Read the rest at the Australia News