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Bush heckled in Canberra speech
CANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush has been heckled by Australian parliamentarians during an address in which he thanked the nation for its support in the war on terror. Bush personally lauded Australian Prime Minister John Howard for his "exceptional courage" in committing Australian troops to the war in Iraq and said Australians were traditionally the "first to step forward to fight" in a just cause. Saying he was proud to call John Howard a friend, Bush raised a laugh by recalling how he had earlier described Howard as a "man of steel". "That's Texan for 'fair dinkum'", he said. Bush also vigorously defended using force in Afghanistan and Iraq, saying that terrorists had been trying to gain chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. "America, Australia and other nations acted in Iraq to remove a grave and gathering danger, instead of wishing and waiting while tragedy drew closer," the president said. Referring to terrorist threats, Bush said: "As free nations in peril, we must fight this enemy with all our strength", adding "we refuse to live our lives at the mercy of terrorists". But the address Thursday was marred by two separate interjections by Greens senators, Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle, who shouted comments and interrupted the U.S. leader. The Speaker of the House ordered that the parliamentarians be removed from the house by the Sergeant at Arms but both resisted efforts to have them removed. Senator Brown called out that President Bush should show respect for the world's laws and said that Australia was not a "sheriff" in Asia. During the second interjection by Senator Nettle, Bush quipped: "I love free speech". (Hecklers ordered out) The Australian government has been a staunch supporter of the Bush administration's war on terror, contributing troops and military hardware to the actions in Afghanistan and Iraq and backing the U.S. position in international forums such as the United Nations. Outside Parliament, hundreds of demonstrators banged drums and shouted at the president from security lines 100 meters (yards) away from where Bush entered, The Associated Press reports. Other protesters jostled with security officials outside the U.S. embassy compound where Bush stayed overnight. Bush is the fourth U.S. president to visit Australia, following Bill Clinton, his father George Bush and Lyndon Johnson in making the trip Down Under. The Canberra visit is the final leg of a six-nation tour by President Bush which included attending the APEC leaders summit in Bangkok, Thailand. The trip also coincides with a four-day visit from Chinese President Hu Jintao to Australia, although the two leaders' paths will not cross. Hu will also address the Australian parliament. (Hu: China committed to trade deals) Bush arrived in Australia from Indonesia where he spent three hours on the tourist island of Bali, the site of deadly terror bombings a year ago which killed more than 200 people, including around 90 Australians. Bush has praised Indonesia for its support in the global war on terror and vowed to win the fight against terrorism. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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