CANBERRA, Feb. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Australian Prime Minister John Howard denied here Wednesday that he and his government knew of kickbacks by Australia's sole wheat exporter, AWB, to Iraq's Saddam Hussein's government.

    This came after new evidence showed Howard, senior ministers and dozens of senior bureaucrats were warned five years ago Iraq was trying to corrupt the oil-for-food program by forcing AWB to pay kickbacks to Iraqi officials.

    The scam was outlined in a diplomatic cable dated April 10, 2001 from Bronte Moules, an official at Australia's permanent mission to the Uited Nations in New York.

    It was widely distributed through the top echelons of government, including the prime minister, Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer, Trade Minister Mark Vaile and then-Minister for Agriculture Warren Truss.

    Howard said it was misleading to say the government had been tipped off about bribes.

    "When you read the cable you find, in fact, that the diplomat in New York told the government in Canberra that they had received assurances from AWB that kickbacks had not been paid," he told Australia's Southern Cross radio.

    "They did not believe for a moment they had been paid," he said.

    He said the cable showed Moules had pointed out to AWB that the United Nations Security Council resolutions must be observed and warned the wheat marketer against any suggestion the sanctions could be avoided.

    Howard said no evidence had been produced before the Cole commission, which is investigating the issue, demonstrating that government ministers had been told the AWB paid kickbacks. Enditem