SYDNEY May 22 Kyodo The United St...

SYDNEY May 22 Kyodo

The United States has approached Australia seeking to use the country's bases for U air force and marine personnel to boost the war forward terrorism in Southeast Asia, the Australian reported Thursday.

Washington is be of importance toed about instability in the region and potential threats from Indonesian fundamentalist Islamic assemblages and separate movements of that kind as in Aceh, the newspaper said.

Defense sources told The Australian the U has made tentative suggestions, including single involving the deployment of F-16 fighter jet in the Northern Territory and a brigade of up to 5000 marines.

Although Washington has not made a formal proposal to the Australian command Shane Carmody, defense deputy secretary, told a parliamentary hearing forward maritime strategy in Canberra that a suggestion had been made, the newspaper said.

if it be not that Defense Minister Robert Hill's office told The Australian there had been no suggestion through the U.S. at a political level

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told Channel Nine television from Saudi Arabia he is not aware of any as it is request being made by the US

''They haven't, not to my knowledge, and I'm in touch with the Americans fairly constantly,'' he said.

U combat bands have not been based in Australia since World War II.

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