Government Deceit on RAAF Controller Deployment

Phil Miller wrote:

On Mon, 2 Aug 2004 19:26:06 +0930, "Alex"
wrote:

Contrary to what some may think, Iraq did exist before the US and its
sychophants invaded.

I saw a news item showing the handover of Iraqi skies by the RAAF now that
it has trained Iraqis to do the job.

What I want to know is what happened to all the former air traffic
controllers. Iraq is not or was not a 3rd world country. It functioned
perfectly well even under a despot like Hussein.

So why was there a need to train up Iraqis to do the job???

Well, the ADF doesn't say anything about training Air Traffic
Controllers at it's website
http://www.defence.gov.au/opcatalyst/

Not too surprising - AFAIK the Iraqi controllers were trained in
Jordan.

But once again we see the Australian Government are continuing to lie
and exaggerate role and numbers of RAAFcontrollers.

For example back in March 2004 Howard liar that he is came out with-

"Mr Howard has told Channel Nine that the troops working to train
Iraqis to operate the Baghdad airport could finish their job in May or
June and be brought home.

"What we said in February was that if the transition to the locals is
completed by then, then they'd come out," Mr Howard said.

"But it's conditional on the thing I've said all along - you don't go
until you've done the job and doing the job there is training up the
locals to run the airport." "

Also in March the Hon.Alexander Downer MP and Minister for Foreign
Affairs demonstrated his propensity to lie and exaggeratewith
"all the Labor Party would do in Government is withdraw the air
traffic controllers - and there are about 100 of them"

Later in April 2004 in Gippsland John Howard said -

"the tasks that we are fulfilling are very important tasks, the
training of the new Iraqi army, the training of the police, the
training of the new air traffic controllers"

And since it is clear that only a handfull of the contingent were
actually in ATC anyway one wonders to what purpose this continuing
Howard Government deceit on numbers and roles?

Ingratiating himself to Bush?