The opposition Labor Party leader blasted Prime Minister John Howard Wednesday for supporting the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and vowed to bring most of Australia's troops home by Christmas.

In a key campaign speech before the Oct. 9 election, Mark Latham underscored Iraq as the major policy difference between the two men vying to lead the country and accused Howard of supporting a U.S. foreign policy "mistake" by sending troops to Iraq.

"I want to render the United States the best service any Australian prime minister ever could," Latham said in a nationally televised speech. "And that is to help the United States develop its true role of world leadership based on respect, understanding and the cooperation demonstrated so powerfully after Sept. 11 but undermined so tragically by the mistakes in Iraq."

Howard's decision to join the Iraq invasion triggered huge peace protests in major cities across Australia last year �� the largest such demonstrations since Canberra sent troops to support U.S. military action in Vietnam.

Australia's election is overshadowed by terrorist bombings outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sept. 9 that killed nine Indonesians, and Latham accused Howard of ignoring warnings that the Iraq war would make Australia less safe.

Australia still has 900 troops stationed in and around Iraq. Howard has said they will stay there until Iraqi authorities say they are no longer needed; Latham has pledged to bring most troops home by Christmas if he wins office.

"I say the real job for Australia (in fighting terrorism) is in our region, working with our neighbors and with the United States in our part of the world," Latham said, in a reference to the terror threat in Southeast Asia.

Latham's speech came as an AP/Ipsos Poll revealed Wednesday that 66 percent of Australians believe the threat of world terrorism has been increased by the Iraq war.

Howard initially said destroying Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction was one of the key reasons for joining the invasion. After international teams failed to find any such weapon, Howard said the invasion was a success because it toppled one of the world's most brutal dictators.

All polls show Labor and Howard's conservative coalition government running virtually even ahead of the elections.

Those who said Australia's support for the war was a mistake narrowly outnumbered those who endorsed it, 48 percent to 45 percent, The Associated Press-commissioned poll found.

The Iraq comments were Latham's only reference to foreign policy in a 40-minute speech focussed on domestic issues. He promised $2.7 billion over four years in new spending, significantly less than the $4.3 billion in new spending Howard promised when he made his key re-election speech Sunday.

Howard, the 65-year-old leader of the center-right coalition who is seeking a fourth three-year term, condemned the speech as a demonstration of 43-year-old Latham's inexperience. Howard said Latham proposed no measures to keep the economy strong.

The economy has been the key focus of the election campaign, with both Howard and Latham keen to show they can keep the economy healthy while improving domestic programs.

Source: CD/Agencies