Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

except for some blather on the Iraq Study Group, which is, to say the least, cherry picking, selective quoting and deeply misleading. The Iraq Study Group has been quoted by the Prime Minister, but it also said:

The point is not for the United States to set timetables or deadlines for withdrawal, an approach ... we oppose.

That is what the Iraq Study Group said. Labor members obviously have not read the report of the Iraq Study Group. There is no doubt about it: the international community believes it would be a mistake for America to withdraw precipitously and the Leader of the Opposition happens to think the reverse. The opposition spokesman on foreign affairs, the member for Barton, said, when President Bush announced the surge, that Labor was opposed to the surge.

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