P-39 Australians mounts pressure on Howard to stop backing Bush...

Australia must keep troops in Iraq to protect US ties SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia should keep its troops in Iraq in order to protect the country's ties with superpower ally the United States, Prime Minister John Howard said.

Howard, a keen supporter of US President George W. Bush's administration, told supporters at a dinner in New South Wales late Thursday he stood by his domestically unpopular decision to send troops to Iraq and would assume responsibility for it... "Part of our obligation as a good friend to the people of the United States is to understand the importance of maintaining a place in that alliance and the importance of maintaining our involvement in the coalition," he said.