By Red Harrison in Sydney

Australia has confirmed it will allow the United States to use a military base in northern Australia as a link in the controversial anti-missile defence shield proposed by President Bush.

Senior American officials, led by James Kelly, the Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, have spent the past two days in Australia seeking support for Mr Bush's plan.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says he has no doubts the United States will proceed with its anti-missile defence plan, despite the misgivings of Germany, Russia, China and France.

Mr Downer emerged from his talks with Mr Kelly to say the more people understood that the missile shield system was a defensive scheme and threatened no one, the more they would realise it made sense.

China ties important

Mr Downer said the satellite relay station at Pine Gap in northern Australia could already relay information about missile launches and the government would certainly not cut off that information from the American defence system.