SYDNEY, July 18 (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton has warned that US interference in Australian politics could backfire following its criticism over the Labor opposition's vow to recall Australian troops from Iraq.
In an interview from London due to be broadcast by ABC television Monday, Clinton said he hoped if Labor wins the upcoming election, Australia would not withdraw its troops from Iraq now the reconstruction process had UN approval.
But he acknowledged Australians did not want to be told how to vote by outsiders.
"If I were in ... the Bush position, I think it would be okay to say I hope that after this election, whoever wins, the Australians will continue to support the reconstruction of Iraq because now it's been blessed by the UN," Clinton said.
"The UN basically has the leading role here and everyone in the world, whether they supported us or not before, has a vested interest in seeing Iraq be a free, pluralistic, non-aggressive and secure (nation).
"Beyond that, I don't think we should say much because if you get too tough then for one thing you are almost intervening in another country's politics.
"Secondly, it's probably going to backfire because most people don't like outsiders telling them how to vote."
Senior US officials including Bush, US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage have weighed in on Australian politics, notably by criticising opposition leader Mark Latham's pledge to withdraw troops from Iraq by Christmas if he wins this year's election.
Clinton also defended the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) against claims its intelligence about weapons of mass destruction (WMD) was faulty, but said WMDs were never the main reason for invading Iraq.
"The CIA did not say there's a connection between Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, they didn't say that, the administration did," he said.
The administration invaded Iraq "because they thought the whole enterprise had merit in itself, to shake up the authoritarian air in the Middle East, to make Israel feel more secure and give America more leverage in making peace with Palestinians and Israelis", he said.
"This whole weapons of mass destruction thing for them was maybe a good way to get their foot in the door but not the major issue."