Minister says oil key to Australian presence in Iraq

OIL is a key factor in keeping Australian troops in the US-led war in Iraq, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said yesterday, before his boss Prime Minister John Howard sharply contradicted him.

Nelson’s startling comments caused an immediate stir in Australia, one of the few leading allies the United States has in the increasingly unpopular war, but Howard quickly backed away from the explosive contention.

A new defence review had concluded that maintaining “resource security” in the Middle East was a priority, Nelson said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.