The Australian government yesterday tried to distance itself from US President George W. Bush's description of it as America's "sheriff" in Asia, fearing the moniker will further strain Canberra's relationship with the region.
"Can I make it very clear? I don't see this country as being a sheriff, a deputy sheriff, as having any kind of enforcement role in our region," Prime Minister John Howard said.
Bush's description this week of Australia as a sheriff prompted an outcry from Malaysia, with Deputy Defense Minister Shafie Apdal on mocking Australia on Thursday as America's "puppet" in the region.
Critics at home have accused Howard of turning his back on Asian neighbors as he pursues closer links with the US.
Australia sent troops to fight alongside US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Bush was asked by reporters at the White House if Washington saw Australia as its "deputy sheriff" in Southeast Asia.
"We don't see it as a deputy sheriff," Bush replied. "We see it as a sheriff."
Yesterday, Howard tried to smooth over embarrassment caused by the remark.
"If I myself were to choose an expression to describe our role in the region, I would use the name given to our operation in the Solomon Islands -- "Helpem Fren," which is Pidgin for helping your friends," he told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
In July, Australia sent hundreds of police and troops to help restore law and order in the Solomon Islands, a neighboring country that had been rapidly descending into chaos.
The opposition Labor Party criticized Bush's remarks yesterday.
"Australia's capacity to somehow act as the lone ranger in Southeast Asia frankly doesn't exist," Labor's foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.
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