Australia not 'deputy sheriff to America'

reuters: Australia signed a peace treaty with its Southeast Asian neighbors on Saturday and rejected what it called puerile comments about it being America's deputy sheriff in the region.

"I think even you could move beyond the puerile allegations of deputy sheriff," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer snapped at a reporter when asked about the role often ascribed to Australia as a proxy for Washington in the region.

Downer was speaking at a news conference in the Malaysian capital moments before he signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, which calls for signatories not to interfere in each other's internal affairs.

The treaty was born within the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which made signing the pact a condition for entry into next week's inaugural East Asian summit.

Australia hesitated to sign the treaty, saying it might conflict with its existing security arrangements with the United States, but reconsidered when it became clear that Canberra would not be invited to the summit without its signature.

"Being part of the East Asia summit, that's a quid pro quo we are happy to live with," Downer said, adding that Australia had received guarantees from ASEAN that its signature on the treaty would not disturb its existing treaty arrangements.

Australia's entry into the East Asia summit, along with ASEAN states and Japan, China, South Korea, India and New Zealand, follows the 2003 retirement of former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad, who had always opposed its membership in Asian forum.

Mahathir routinely calls Australia the deputy sheriff of Washington in Asia.

"Now Australia is basically European and it has made clear to the rest of the world it is the deputy sheriff to America," Mahathir told a news conference on Wednesday. Read more

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