Finally, someone admits what Iraq war was all about
Posted By Philippe Khan
9/7/07
Australian Defense Minister Brendan Nelson admitted that invading Iraq was related to oil.
Last week, Australian Defense Minister Brendan Nelson admitted that invading Iraq in 2003 was related to oil; a fact that millions of people around the world were already aware of.
According to the BBC, Nelson announced that securing oil supplies was a key factor behind the involvement of Australian troops in Iraq. "And obviously the Middle East itself, not only Iraq but the entire region, is an important supplier of energy, oil in particular, to the rest of the world, and Australians and all of us need to think well what would happen if there were a premature withdrawal from Iraq,” Nelson said in a radio interview.
Nelson’s confession was the first time that any Australian government official, or Western leader, admitted that taking part in Iraq's occupation had anything to do with oil.
In an attempt to cool things down, Australia’s Prime Minister, John Howard, told a local radio station that oil was never the reason for taking part in Iraq's invasion. "A lot of oil comes from the Middle East - we all know that - but the reason we remain there is that we want to give the people of Iraq a possibility of embracing democracy," he claimed, according to the BBC.
Despite Howard's response, it's hard to ignore Nelson's admission that revealed the real reasons behind the U.S./UK-backed invasion of Iraq, which apparently was never linked to weapons of mass destruction, or Saddam’s alleged connection with al-Qaeda; the initial justification for the illegal war.
Australia, which withdrew many of its forces from Iraq, currently has around 1,500 military personnel deployed in the war-torn country. Even though Australian media announced that Howard plans to withdraw all remaining Australian troops from Iraq by February 2008, the prime minister later said that there will be no premature withdrawal of Australian forces, echoing the same stance of the U.S. and the UK.
The Australian government’s refusal to listen to its people and withdraw its troops from the violence-hit country, coupled with Nelson’s recent admission have led many officials to accuse Howard of being undecided when it comes to Iraq. The centre-left opposition Labor Party, which demands a full withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq, said Nelson’s admission that the conflict was linked to oil contradicted the government’s statements before the 2003 invasion. "When Mr Howard was asked back in 2003 whether this war had anything to do with oil, Mr Howard said in no way did it have anything to do with oil," Labor leader Kevin Rudd told reporters, according to World News Australia.
Now that the word is out, everyone can't help but wonder if Nelson’ admission is the start of confessions from Western states that took part in Iraq's invasion and whether this is going to speed up the process of pulling out all foreign troops from the war-ravaged, but oil-rich country.
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