Mr JULL (12:38 PM) —Following yesterday's debate on the subject of Iran, I thought it might be wise to go back some 12 years to two special sitting days in January following the announcement by the Hawke Labor government of the committal of Australian troops to the Gulf War, to read that debate and to note the tenor of that debate, which is completely different from what we are getting this time around. I wonder whether or not our future holds our past, because I think it is not without significance—but it seems to have been overlooked by members of the opposition—that we are still very much involved in the whole situation of Iraq.

I wonder whether speakers like the member for McMillian, who just gave his contribution, realise that there are still Australian forces in Kuwait defending that country and that we have two ships high in the Gulf monitoring the illegal exports of oil and other goods from Iraq. Mr Deputy Speaker Hawker, on the ADF exchange you actually served on one of the ships, the HMAS Melbourne, and you would be very aware of how Iraq is trying to defy the international embargo by getting its oil out of the Gulf ports and selling it on a dubious world market. We are still very much involved and, despite what some opposition members might say, we are very much players in this whole situation of the security of the Gulf states.

It was interesting reading some of those debates. I wonder whether we really remember some of the horror that went on in those days of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. I wonder whether we do realise and remember just what the Iraqi troops did when they went into Kuwait and wrecked the place. We learned through news reports of how infants had been torn from incubators in hospitals, thrown on the floor and left to die. We heard of the women who had been raped, of refugees who had been shot as they attempted to escape through the desert and of the wholesale torture and pillage in what was a most shocking indictment of the Iraqi regime under Saddam Hussein.

During that debate, it was pointed out that Saddam Hussein probably joined Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot as one of the three greatest and worst dictators that the 20th century had seen. I wonder how much Saddam has improved his administration of Iraq in those days since the Iraqi invasion and his ultimate defeat. When we read news reports of his weekly attendance at torture sessions to watch people having their tongues cut out or being strung up by piano wire, there is no doubt that we are dealing with an absolute maniac—a man who is a danger to the peace not only of the Middle East but of the world.

One of the great privileges I have had during my time in this House was to serve for three months in 1995 as the parliamentary adviser to the Australian delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations. I would urge any member who can possibly undertake that task to do it, because it is one of the great privileges that are afforded to us and it gets you into the whole scope of the operation of the United Nations. One of the committees on which I served at the United Nations was dealing with the weapons inspections in Iraq. I remember how the inspectors and the chief inspector at the time came back, giving reports of what had been discovered: mustard gas, sarin and 200 tonnes of VX, biological weapons and supplies of anthrax and gangrene ready to be used in cases of conflict that would be initiated by Iraq.

If we go back into the history of the war with Iran and look at the millions who were killed in that particular war using biological weapons and germ warfare and at what Saddam Hussein did to the Kurds in northern Iraq, we can see that we are dealing with an absolute maniac. But we are not only dealing with a maniac; we are dealing with a liar who, for the last decade, has done absolutely nothing to ensure that the demands of the United Nations would be met. While I too welcome the letter that has gone to the United Nations offering the weapons inspectors entree back into Iraq, one cannot help but be cynical and realise, in the words of Kofi Annan, that this is very much just the beginning, because history shows that, when Saddam Hussein realises he is in for a hiding, he usually gives in. I just hope that, on this occasion, it is more than just trying to divert the very real efforts to rid the Middle East of this scourge and to bring some peace into that part of the world once again.

I think we have to be very careful that we are not again being led on a merry chase by Saddam Hussein and that we are not getting ourselves into a situation where he will delay, delay and delay. On reading this morning's news reports, I felt some disappointment that there would appear to be a split in the Security Council as to the need for a further resolution to ensure that the demands of the United Nations are met. I hope that the governments of China and Russia, which would seem to be the two that have split off from the rest of the group, would perhaps reconsider so that we can get this weapons inspection going in Iraq with some clout.

The proof will be whether Saddam Hussein is prepared to ensure the speedy re-entrance of weapons inspectors into that country. I think the United Nations faces a real dilemma if access to Iraq is not given speedily and comprehensively, because the reputation of the United Nations is also very much on the line. I think the events of the last week have shown that many nations are now prepared to finally take a stand against Iraq, and I just hope that we are not going to be hampered by any split in the Security Council.

I do not think any one of us knows whether Australia will be involved in sending forces to Iraq. Certainly, no commitment has been given by the government at this stage. Certainly, there has been no request from the United States for us to supply troops. But, as a good citizen of the world, I think Australia has to put on every bit of pressure that it possibly can to ensure that the Iraqis meet the United Nations demand. Rather than condemn, as did the last speaker, I would like to congratulate the Minister for Foreign Affairs for playing such a role in the United Nations in New York just last week. It is not without significance, especially when you hear accusations that we are just lap-dogs of the US, that the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs actually had a conference with the Iraqi foreign minister. Most countries of the Western world have not been near the Iraqi foreign minister or any other representative of Iraq at the United Nations since the Gulf War. Australia certainly has not. I understand the move may not necessarily have been smiled upon by some of the other major nations of the world, but the Minister for Foreign Affairs thought it was worth while to make Australians' views known to the foreign minister of Iraq and to try to bring about some commonsense. Congratulations to Mr Downer for that.

I think our stance on this whole situation has been firm and balanced. We are now waiting to see what sort of reaction we get from the Iraqis in terms of their letter, and that will make very fascinating viewing over the next couple of weeks. We hope and pray that, for the first time in his history, Saddam Hussein may be honest and give that free and unfettered approach to the UN weapons inspections so that the scourge of his regime may finally be wiped from the face of the Middle East.