Australia's military presence in Iraq has angered many at home

Mr Howard, who committed 2,000 Australian forces to the war in Iraq, initially in the face of strong opposition at home, said Australia would work alongside the US and Britain as a partner in the coalition transitional authority.

He stressed that the three states had no "territorial ambitions" in Iraq, saying that the aim was to return power to the Iraqi people.

"Our aim is to return authority in Iraq to the Iraqi people in a way that they choose, in the form of an open and free government that they choose," he said at a press conference in Canberra following a meeting of his war cabinet.

The Australian leader also welcomed the jubilant scenes in the Iraqi capital, as US forces took control on Wednesday, but he cautioned that the war was not over yet.

"Many difficult challenges will lie ahead and one cannot rule out the possibility of various last ditch stands by remnants of the regime," he said.

"I am not claiming that the war is over... but certainly it can be said that the regime is finished," he said.

Mr Howard also said Australia would be involved in the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, as "we have a particular expertise in that area".

Reconstruction

Australian officials are already working with the Kuwait-based Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs under retired US Army Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, the head of the interim administration.

Canberra has said it expects to take responsibility for rebuilding Iraq's agriculture.

Iraq has been the biggest buyer of Australian wheat, earning Australia an average of about AU$900m ($532.3m) a year.

Before the war began, drought-stricken Australian farmers threatened to sue the government, fearing that their revenue would be lost.

Mr Howard said Canberra had "a very clear eye to Iraq's long-term future, but also to our own national interests in terms of peace and security and commercial interests".

Public opinion

The participation of Australian forces in the war - its largest combat deployment since the Vietnam war - at first sparked fierce opposition among the country's public, and protests have continued throughout the campaign.

On Tuesday, anti-war protesters delayed an Australian warship leaving Sydney Harbour for Iraq by attaching themselves to the frigate with climbing equipment.

However, recent polls show opinion evenly divided between supporters and critics of Australia's involvement in the war.