After two decades.. lifting the secrecy of Australian documents on the Iraq war

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[size=52]After two decades.. lifting the secrecy of Australian documents on the Iraq war[/size]

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[size=45]The Australian “ABC” network reported, on Sunday, that two decades-old documents, recently declassified, do not show much indication of the imminent involvement of Australian forces in the war that Washington was about to lead in Iraq, which turned into an Australian involvement. long term in the Middle East.[/size]
[size=45]The Australian report, which was published in English and translated by Shafaq News Agency, stated that the National Archives in Australia published about 240 secret files related to the Australian Cabinet from 2002, at a time when the Australian government was about to join the US invasion of Iraq, and it had already been sent Australian troops to Afghanistan.[/size]
[size=45]The report indicated that the group of documents provides a deep insight into the issues that were discussed at the highest levels of government, and takes us to the hall in which these discussions took place, since in that year the discussions dominated issues of national security, asylum seekers' policy, climate change, constitutional recognition of the rights of indigenous people, and other issues. Issues that are still raised in the political arena to this day.[/size]
[size=45]"Oral Report" on Weapons of Mass Destruction[/size]
[size=45]The report indicated that foreign issues dominated the beginnings of the first decade of the current century, especially the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the reaction of the United States in the following year. About to happen in Iraq or Afghanistan.[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that there are two documents related to cabinet meetings held during September 2002, that is, only 6 months before Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced that Australia would deploy troops to participate in the invasion of Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]In one of the documents, as the report says, the Council of Ministers viewed an oral report of the prime minister about his discussions with US President (George Bush at the time) about "the American position regarding Iraq's efforts to possess weapons of mass destruction."[/size]
[size=45]However, the document does not shed light on the details of these conversations between Howard and Bush.[/size]
[size=45]And the report continued, that two weeks after that session, the Cabinet dealt with another “oral report” by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on “developments” regarding the proposed UN Security Council resolution on “Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction and attempts to keep them, and about the possibilities of passing the resolution.” in New York.[/size]
[size=45]The report stated that, by March 2003, Australia joined the invasion led by Washington without authorization from the UN Security Council, noting that no weapons of mass destruction were ever found, while it is estimated that 200,000 people were killed later.[/size]
[size=45]He added that investigations conducted in the United States and Britain in subsequent years concluded that military action took place before other peaceful options were exhausted, and that Washington relied on false and exaggerated intelligence.[/size]
[size=45]The report said that Amanda Vanston, who was a minister in Howard's government, now refuses to touch on the talks that took place 20 years ago in the cabinet on Iraq, stressing that she is still adhering to the rules of secrecy that govern cabinet sessions.[/size]
[size=45]However, the report quoted Vanstone as saying, "I think we made the right decision at the time, given what we knew, and what we believed was right at the time."[/size]
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