Federal cabinet did not believe Australia would be in a position to contribute to peacekeeping or reconstruction efforts in Iraq following the initial conflict in 2003, documents have revealed.
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Newly declassified cabinet documents from 2003, released on Thursday by the National Archives, have shed further light on the decision making process before Australia entered the Iraq War.
Two weeks before the US-led invasion of Iraq began, cabinet agreed Australia would not provide troops for peacekeeping efforts after initial military efforts.
"We seek to minimise our role in the rehabilitation of Iraq's internal security and law enforcement sectors, noting our extensive commitments in these areas, including in relation to the war on terrorism, in Southeast Asia," a memo from March 5 said.
"The committee also agreed that Australia would not provide ADF forces for any post-conflict peace keeping force in Iraq."
While the initial stages of the conflict lasted a few weeks, Australian forces would serve in Iraq until 2009, with many engaged in reconstruction and rehabilitation work as part of a US-led coalition.
A letter from then foreign minister Alexander Downer to prime minister John Howard dated February 27, 2003 said while there was a focus for a peaceful resolution in Iraq, plans were being drawn up should war take place.
"Our starting point has been that, while Australia will do its fair share, we do not have the resources to do the 'heavy lifting' on Iraqi reconstruction," Mr Downer wrote.
"You have made clear to (US President George W Bush) that Australia will not be in a position to contribute to a post-conflict peacekeeping or stabilisation force.
"There are, however, significant Australian commercial interests in Iraq which we would want to advance, and we have a strong political interest in ensuring that the institutional arrangements in post-conflict Iraq are credible and effective."
Mr Downer told the prime minister that the US envisaged itself in a dominant role in Iraq post-war for as long as 18 months, while the UN would be relegated to subsidiary roles, following talks he had with US Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"I doubt that the US position is sustainable and much will eventually depend on whether any US-led military action goes forward under UN cover," the letter said.
In a briefing on March 5, Mr Downer told the security committee the US was likely to go ahead with a war in Iraq, regardless of the outcome of a United Nations resolution that would have allowed military action.
The resolution did not end up being endorsed by the global body.
While the war was based on assumptions that Iraq was storing weapons of mass destruction, no such weapons were uncovered.
The National Archives released the new documents after they were originally misplaced and not handed over in 2020, when the bulk of cabinet records from 2003 were handed over.
A review found 82 documents were misplaced due to an "administrative error".
The archives released 14 documents relating to the Iraq War, while the remaining records are being examined ahead of public release.
Australian Associated Press
