Fed: US rejects Latham's comments on Aust-US alliance=2

AAP General News (Australia)
04-12-2004
Fed: US rejects Latham's comments on Aust-US alliance=2

A spokesman for Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the State Department's response
was a matter for the US government.

But he said the statement highlighted the difference between the coalition government
and Labor over the alliance.

"Mr Latham clearly doesn't value the US security alliance to the degree we do," the
spokesman said.

But opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said Labor put a high value on
the alliance, which was first established under a Labor government.

"The Australia-US relationship is one which was founded by the Labor government of
Australia in 1941," Mr Rudd told Sky News.

"We've stood by it in the intervening 60 years and in that 60 year history there've
been times when we have disagreed, both over Vietnam and in relation now to Iraq.

"But this is a broad relationship and we can sustain disagreements on the way through."

AAP mfh/sb/cjh/tnf

KEYWORD: US LATHAM 2 CANBERRA

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