Howard on Sunday called for changes to the U.N. Charter to allow pre-emptive strikes. His comments came in the wake of the Oct. 12 terrorist attack on Bali that left nearly 200 people dead, almost half of them Australian tourists.

"Australia is ready to invade Asia," said the headline of Indonesia's mass circulation newspaper Republika on Monday. "Australia these days is not ashamed to position itself as the sheriff of the United States."

But Howard on Monday stuck by his assertion that he would order such strikes to forestall attacks against Australian citizens.

"Any Australian prime minister unwilling to do that would be failing the most basic test of office," Howard said in Parliament in Canberra.

Australia's military includes a modern air force capable of hitting targets across Southeast Asia. It also has special forces trained in counterterrorism. A longtime US ally, Australia deployed special forces to Afghanistan last year to help American troops root out Taliban and al-Qaida remnants.

Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand said their sovereignty would be violated if Australia deployed its military on their soil.

Howard's remarks elicited special concern in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.

"The majority of the United Nations members would find it difficult to accept" Howard's stance, said Indonesian Foreign Minister Haas Wirayuda. He called Howard's comments "unacceptable."

Indonesia's acting ambassador in Canberra, Imron Cotan, described Howard's statements as "not the comments of a friendly neighbor."

Philippines, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez called Howard's stance "arrogant."

"We cannot allow the fundamental doctrine of sovereignty to be set aside in the name of terrorism," said the Philippines foreign secretary, Blas Ople.

Malaysian Defense Minister Najib Razak said Howard couldn't launch unilateral counterterrorism action in a foreign country without the consent of the government involved.

"The involvement of foreign troops on our soil will complicate efforts to combat terror elements in this country," a Malaysian newspaper quoted Najib as saying.

The opposition Labor Party said Howard was using fear of terrorism to justify support for a possible US attack on Iraq.

Howard has a habit of upsetting his neighbors, earning him the reputation of being Asia's odd man out.

Since taking office in 1996, Howard has shifted foreign policy focus away from Asia and concentrated on revitalizing ties with Australia's traditional ally, the United States.

The prime minister said last month that he was drafting military contingency plans for a possible war in Iraq following talks with US officials.

(China Daily December 3, 2002)