Former defense chiefs and diplomats yesterday condemned Aus-tralia's involvement in the Iraq war in what could be a major blow to Prime Minister John Howard's re-election prospects.
The 43 eminent Australians, including two former chiefs of defense and three ambassadors, issued a scathing public statement accusing the government of deceit and rubber-stamping foreign policies decided by Washington.
"We are concerned that Australia was committed to join the invasion of Iraq on the basis of false assumptions and the deception of the Australian people," the statement said. "Above all, it is wrong and dangerous for our elected representatives to mislead the Australian people."
The statement comes as some commentators predict Howard this week will call for elections to be held Sept. 18. Opinion polls predict the election will be too close to call, but have suggested the Iraq war will be a major issue with up to 75 percent of voters believing the invasion was not justified.
Howard, who hopes for a fourth three-year term as prime minister, denied the government misrep-resented intelligence about Iraq's weapons programs and had pressured spy agencies into bolstering a case for war.
"The argument that we took the country to war based on a lie is itself a misrepresentation and I continue to reject it," Howard said in Samoa where he attended a Pacific leaders' forum.
Howard had cited Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction, which have never been found, as the main reason for war.
Opposition Labor Party leader Mark Latham promised honesty if elected prime minister.
"It is very, very important to ensure on those big questions in the war against terror you are honest with the Australian people and you are getting the policy right ... to make the country more secure, not less secure," he told Australian Broadcasting Corp. "Mr. Howard has an appalling record."
Labor has also suggested that Australia's involvement in Iraq has raised its profile as a terrorist target. The government rejects the allegation.
Howard's decision to commit 2,000 troops to the Iraq invasion sparked the biggest peace protests in Australia since the Vietnam War.
Australia still has nearly 900 troops in and around Iraq, and their deployment is likely to become a key election issue, with Howard saying they must remain there as long as they are needed and Latham vowing to bring some home by Christmas if he wins power.
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