Australian Company
AWB 'knew Iraq plans a year before'
By AAP
11/23/06 "AAP" -- -- A YEAR before the invasion of Iraq,
the then Australian ambassador to the United Nations, John
Dauth, confidentially told
AWB's former chairman Trevor
Flugge the Howard Government would participate in military
action with the US to overthrow Saddam Hussein, new AWB
documents reveal.
AWB Board minutes show Mr Flugge told the AWB board on
February 27, 2002, that Mr Dauth confided in him that he
believed US military action to depose Saddam Hussein was
inevitable and that the Australian Government would support
and participate in such action, Fairfax newspapers report.
The documents, released at the Cole inquiry yesterday,
undercut previous statements by Prime Minister John Howard
that Australia did not agree to join the war before the UN
debate in late 2002 and early 2003.
The conversation between Mr Dauth and Mr Flugge is reported
to have taken place 13 months before the military action
began.
Mr Dauth also predicted Iraq would invite UN weapons
inspectors to return to the country to hold off any US
military action for a year to 18 months.
The former UN ambassador also promised he would give Mr
Flugge as much warning as possible about when the military
action would begin, Fairfax reports.
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