Government backs US missile policy

In a statement last week, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer fully backed 
the US intention to construct a so-called National Missile Defence (NMD) 
system. Mr Downer claimed that such a system was necessary to detect 
missiles that may be launched by rogue states at the US.

In posing and answering a rhetorical question, Mr Downer once again 
revealed the Government's abject servility when it comes to the US.

He asked: "What do you think the American reaction would be to us saying to 
them: `We're closing down the relay ground station at Pine Gap because we 
don't want to be involved in helping you detect missiles that may be 
launched by rogue states at the US?'"

Mr Downer has not named the alleged "rogue states". Does he have in mind 
the DPR of Korea, Iran, Libya, Cuba or some other? The proposal that these 
small states might launch an attack on the mightiest military force in the 
world is just plain ridiculous.

Mr Downer says that criticism should not be levelled at the US over its 
plans but at countries developing or transferring missile technology such 
as Russia.

Mr Downer would like to see all other countries defenceless in the face of 
the US juggernaut while the US continues to churn out and test nuclear 
weapons, and further enlarges its own missile capacity.

The Government's support for the US plan has brought a strong rebuke from 
the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation which stated that 
Australia's remoteness would not save it from the instability that would be 
produced if the US NMD system goes ahead.

Russian military sources have claimed that they have weapons that would 
render any missile defence system useless. The Australian Government may be 
turning Australia once again into a target for long range nuclear missiles.

Any decision to proceed with the NMD means that the US Government would 
tear up the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty entered into in 1972 which 
has brought about some reduction in nuclear weapons.

Any decision to go ahead with an NMD system will inevitably bring about a 
new major worldwide arms race, but this time in space.