By ANNE GEARAN
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,
twice shouted down by anti-war protesters who called her a killer, told critics
Thursday that the verdict on the U.S.-led war in Iraq
should be left to history.
"I'm quite aware that there are those who disagree
about the decision that we would overthrow Saddam Hussein," Rice said in
response to a university student who cited opinion polls showing more than 60
percent of Australians have a negative view of the U.S. and its foreign policy.
"I'm quite aware that there are those who believe that
he should have been given more time, who believe that we could have contained
him," Rice said.
President Bush and his advisers thought that because of
Saddam's behavior and failure of international sanctions to thwart him,
"it was time to deal with that situation," she said.
She counted herself among those who made the decision.
During Bush's first term, Rice was White House national security adviser and an
architect of the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam.
Rice was twice shouted down by protesters as she spoke to
students from several Australian universities gathered at Sydney
University's music school.
"Condoleezza Rice, you're a war criminal," a young
man shouted minutes after she began her address. "Iraqi blood is on your
hands and you can't wash that blood away," he repeated until guards led
him away.
Rice drew applause with her response: "I'm glad to see
that democracy is well and alive at the university," she said, adding that
democracy is now also alive at universities in Kabul,
Afghanistan and Baghdad,
Iraq.
A second protester stood later and yelled that Rice is a
murderer.
She said the administration could have confined its response
to the Sept. 11 terror attacks to an assault on the al-Qaida
terror network, but she suggested history shows that would have been
shortsighted.
"I think the outcome, the judgment, of all of this
needs to await history," Rice said.
Bush also defended U.S.
policy in Iraq
this week, as the third anniversary of the U.S.
invasion approaches this Sunday.
Australia
said this week it will keep troops in Iraq
at least well into next year and announced a larger mission for about 450
troops now stationed in southern Iraq.
Earlier Thursday, Rice said China
must be more open about its military buildup and play by international economic
rules as its influence grows around the world.
"I heard that there's going to be a 14 percent increase
in the Chinese defense budget. That's a lot," Rice said.
"China
should undertake to be transparent about what that means," Rice said
following a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
Last Friday, China's
parliament approved a 14.7 percent increase in its annual military budget to
$35 billion.
Rice's visit to Australia
will include three-way talks among the United
States, Australia
and Japan. China
is the main topic for those discussions.
Australia's
government and business leaders often take a less guarded view of China's
rapid rise as a political, military and economic force in the Pacific and
beyond. Downer, however, sought to downplay any differences.
"We've never had a concern that the United
States is pursuing a policy of containment
with China,"
Downer said.
Although Rice noted U.S.-Chinese cooperation on
international problems such as the nuclear ambitions of North
Korea and Iran,
she ticked off a list of U.S.
complaints about Chinese behavior.
"It's economy needs to
continue to open, it needs to pay attention to intellectual property rights, it
needs to pay attention to the effect of not having at this point a currency
that is market based," Rice said, adding that much of the country's
economy is still controlled by the state.
"There are reasons to be concerned about whether that
really reflects an open trading policy," Rice said.
Rice had lunch with American sailors aboard an Aegis cruiser
moored in Sydney's sparkling
harbor. On Friday she will see Australian troops, some of whom have served
alongside U.S.
forces in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
Posted: 3/16/06
Source: http://www.breitbart.com
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