NEWS AND VIEWS
Australia

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Wednesday, 31 January 2007

A Justice Minister With a Sick Sense of Humour

Justice and Customs Minister Senator Chris Ellison will have a big future after politics as a comedy straight man if judged on his performance yesterday when announcing that Australian is sending two Federal policemen to Afghanistan to combat the illegal drug trade. "This is part of the AFP's commitment to helping other nations in the fight against illegal narcotics," the Minister proudly proclaimed. In his wonderfully understated deadpan style he commented that "the drug trade undermines Afghanistan 's security and has been one of areas targeted in Australia 's assistance for the reconstruction of Afghanistan in conjunction with our international partners. It is important for Australia to support efforts by the Government of Afghanistan and the international community to deal with the problem."

Meanwhile, back in Kabul this week, the Afghan Government has rejected a United States plan to eradicate opium poppies. Jason Straziuso of Associated Press reported that Afghan President Hamid Karzai decided against a Colombia-style program to spray this country's heroin-producing poppies after the Cabinet worried that the herbicide glyphosate, sold as Roundup, would hurt legitimate crops, animals and people. Mohammad Azam, a spokesman for the Ministry of Counternarcotics, said this year's effort will rely on "traditional techniques"-sending laborers into fields to trample or plow under opium poppies before they can be harvested.

A similar traditional campaign during 2006 saw, on United Nations estimates , o pium production from poppies in Afghanistan rise 49% to 6,700 tons, enough to supply 90% of the world's heroin , restoring the country to the position of the world's number one producer.

But never fear. The AFP's involvement follows a decision taken by the Government late last year and two scoping missions to Afghanistan to review the security situation and issues such as immunities, protections and Coalition facilities available for the AFP personnel. That should put the frighteners in to illegal drug cartels.

It's just a pity that those Dutch do not understand the help that will soon be at hand. Their minister of development, Agnes van Ardenne, said late Monday that the ultimate purpose of Dutch participation in the NATO stabilization force in Afghanistan is to promote reconstruction. "That's only possible if the population is working with us, but the population won't do that if people see that we, as it were, are playing along with the game of destroying the income stream, the only income stream of very many farmers,"

Don't Mention the Iraq Word

A visit by an important American politician would normally be a good way to start an election year. Pictures of a Prime Minister shaking hands with the great and powerful can do wonders for the image.

With the visit next month of US Vice President Dick Cheney the evidence is not so clear cut. The Vice President is on the verge of becoming a figure of fun within the political elite of his own country. I can understand how you might confuse Dick Cheney with Tony Soprano writes one columnist. Appearing more pained than usual, scowling like Jabba the Hutt getting a root canal says another. The chief promoter of the war in Iraq is not exactly the man you want to be seen alongside of when public opinion has turned towards supporting a pull out of existing troops rather than supporting the sending of more.

Not surprising therefore that Iraq got just one little mention in PM John Howard's press release announcing the Vice Presidential visit. Expressing his pleasure at seeing Mr Cheney in Sydney from 22-27 February, Mt Howard said:

The Australia-US alliance is of enduring importance to both countries and makes a significant contribution to international security. Australia and the United States continue to work together toward our common goals. We are cooperating closely to fight terrorism, address global environmental challenges and enhance energy security, prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and promote an open international economic order. Vice President Cheney's visit will be an important opportunity to reinforce the strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Australia and to consult on major international issues such as regional security challenges, Afghanistan , Iraq and the war against terrorism.

Now the task for Mr Howard will be to ensure that the Iraq word continues to be played down when Mr Cheney is actually in the country. Certainly he will have to resist any attempt to get Australia to put any existing, or extra, troops in to positions where they might get shot at. Only the absence of deaths among the Australian contingent has prevented Iraq becoming the vote losing issue for him that it now is for his peers George Bush and Tony Blair.