The open letter echoed similar statements earlier in the year from retired US and British officials, making Australia the latest of the pro-war allies to face criticism from its own former diplomats.

The statement said the electorate had been misled over the reasons for joining the US-led war in Iraq and democracy could not work properly if people could not trust their elected representatives.

"We are concerned that Australia was committed to join the invasion of Iraq on the basis of false assumptions and deception of the Australian people," the statement said.

"Saddam (Hussein)'s dictatorial regime has ended but removing him was not the reason given to the Australian people for going to war.

"The prime minister said in March 2003 that our policy was the disarmament of Iraq not the removal of Saddam Hussein."

It said Australia's involvement had raised the country's profile as a terrorist target.

In April a group of former diplomats sent a letter to British Prime Minister Tony Blair savaging "doomed policies" in Iraq and the Middle East.

The letter was echoed by retired US diplomatic and military officials in two separate letters in May and June accusing President George W. Bush of undermining US credibility in the Arab world and calling for him to be voted out over Iraq.

The Australian statement was signed by former defence force chiefs Alan Beaumont and Peter Gration, former defence department secretary Paul Barratt, former prime minister's department secretaries Alan Renouf and Richard Woolcott plus former ambassadors including Rawdon Dalrymple, Stephen Fitzgerald and Ross Garnaut.

Gration, Australia's defence chief from 1987 to 1993, said the views were shared by some serving officers.

"I can tell you that a number of serving officers do share these concerns and serving diplomats too, I guess," he told reporters. "But, quite properly in their present positions, they cannot speak out."

Howard rejected the statement and denied misleading the public.

"There was no pressure put on intelligence agencies. The argument that we took the country to war based on a lie is itself a misrepresentation and I continue to reject it," he told reporters in Samoa, where he was attending the annual Pacific Forum summit.

Howard singled out the statement's claim that Canberra's close ties with Washington were inhibiting its role in Asia, citing Australia's peacekeeping role in the Solomons and East Timor, "extraordinary growth" in links with China and improved relations with Malaysia.

"I think the claim we don't have enough involvement in Asia and that our involvement with America cripples our capacity to work with Asia is a discredited old criticism," he said.

Australia has been one of the strongest supporters of the Iraq campaign, committing about 2,000 troops to last year's invasion and maintaining a force of about 850 troops in and around the country.

The signatories to the open letter said they did not wish to endanger Australia's alliance with the United States but it should be a genuine partnership and not just a rubber stamp for policies decided in Washington.

"Australian leaders must produce more carefully balanced policies and present them in more sophisticated ways," they wrote.

Opposition leader Mark Latham said Howard had been dissembling about the Iraq war ever since it became apparent that there were no weapons of mass destruction in the country.

"Mr Howard has an appalling record," he told ABC television. "He can barely lie straight in bed."

All rights reserved. Copyright 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

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