Fed: Rudd says Downer motiviated by domestic ambitions

00-00-0000
Fed: Rudd says Downer motiviated by domestic ambitions

CANBERRA, Aug 13 AAP - Foreign Minister Alexander Downer was ramping up his rhetoricagainst Iraq to boost his leadership credentials, Labor said today.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said Labor's policy on Iraq, in placesince April, was to exhaust diplomatic approaches through the United Nations before talkingabout military action.

"What has changed since April has been the entirely bogus debate on this so-calledappeasement of Iraq into which Mr Downer launched himself explicitly and consciously inWashington in July," he told ABC Radio.

"Since that time, what the foreign minister has done has really ramped up the rhetoricin a huge fashion, presumably in driving after some domestic political objective of hisown."

Last month, Mr Downer voiced ambitions of being treasurer in a future coalition government,a position normally reserved for the Liberal Party's deputy leader.

Mr Rudd said Mr Downer, after calling for less political heat on the issue, had nowaccused Opposition Leader Simon Crean of talking like Iraqi president Saddam Hussein andrunning his Australian envoy's line.

"It is demonstrably wrong, it is totally offensive and ... it's time the prime ministerbrought this person into line," he said.

"It's time the foreign minister started behaving and talking like a foreign ministerrather than behaving like some domestic political clown."

The government was out of step with European governments and even Texan Republicanson the issue, he said.

"The Howard government now know that their Iraq policy is starting to blow up in theirhands," he said.

"What the government has found out, I think, is that they are also - in terms of theirpublic Rambo rhetoric on Iraq in the last month - out of step with Australian communitysentiment."

AAP jph/sw/was/sb

KEYWORD: IRAQ AUST RUDD