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Rudd firm on Iraq pullout

— Photo: AP

BREAK WITH THE PAST: Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd during a press conference in Brisbane on Sunday.

Melbourne: Australia’s Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd, who swept to power routing the coalition led by Conservative Prime Minister John Howard, on Sunday announced his action plan for the country and its relations with the world. Mr. Rudd’s Labour Party swept to power inflicting heavy defeat to the coalition led by Mr. Howard who was in power for 11 years but became unpopular for his policies on Iraq war, labour and climate change.

The former diplomat, in his maiden press conference on Sunday, pledged to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and withdraw Australian troops from Iraq, stressed that Canberra’s relationship with Washington was crucial despite policy differences.

Mr. Rudd, who is fluent in Chinese, said he had spoken to the leaders of the U.S., Indonesia and the U.K. as he faces a “a full slate” of work.

The Labour leader has been formally invited to the Bali conference on climate change next month and will go to the U.S. early next year.

Mr. Rudd listed his action plans: building a world class education system, creating a long-term method for funding the health system, drawing up practical solutions for water management and climate change, and introducing practical measures that would reduce the financial pressure on working families.

Mr. Rudd also announced that Labour’s parliamentary party will be meeting in Canberra on Thursday.

Earlier, Mr. Rudd had only guaranteed the positions of his deputy leader Julia Gillard and his economic team, treasury spokesman Wayne Swan and finance spokesman Lindsay Tanner.

“This election has been about the future, we have an agenda for the future, we have therefore an agenda of work to prosecute and to do that effectively we need the best team to do it and will be spending the next couple of days determining the composition of the team,” said the Labour leader.

Mr. Howard on Saturday conceded his defeat and said: “I accept full responsibility for the Liberal party campaign, and I therefore accept full responsibility for the coalition’s defeat in this election campaign.” — PTI

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