Speech
to the Societa Italiana per l'Organizzazione Internazionale, Rome
1 October 2003
Australia: Meeting the Challenge of a New Global Environment
Introduction
Ambassador La Rocca, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
I am delighted to have this opportunity to talk to you. The centre has a well earned reputation for its promotion of a deeper understanding of foreign policy in Italy.
Your work to inform and contribute to public debate is more important than ever.
Today, I want to present an Australian perspective on some of the global issues confronting us all and to underline the importance of addressing them in a concerted and practical way.
I want to comment on the opportunity that the imminent expansion and increasing integration of the EU offers the world.
And I will say a few words about our bilateral relations with Italy.
A more challenging environment
The global challenges we face today are serious.
We are at risk from the threat of international terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
Once it might have been possible to view terrorism as confined to a few unstable regions distant from our everyday reality. But today, almost every country has been touched by its evil.
Just on a year ago, 88 citizens of my own country and one from Italy lost their lives in a terrorist outrage in Bali. And two years ago, on September 11, ten Australians were among the 2,792 innocents who lost their lives in New York. Coincidentally, Italy sadly lost ten people as well.
The war on terror is being won as a result of concerted international and regional efforts.
The international community has frozen about $137 million in terrorist assets since 9/11, and detained or killed over 3,000 al-Qaeda suspects including a key al Qaeda-JI link, Hambali.
Australia has built with its neighbors a network of bilateral counter-terrorism arrangements.
These facilitate practical, operational-level cooperation between regional security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies that have prevented terror attacks.
But, we cannot afford to be complacent - this will be a long campaign.
Our greatest fear is the consequence of terrorist groups or irresponsible states gaining access to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
Iraq was a striking example of our resolve to deal with the WMD threat.
In joining the international coalition to disarm Iraq (of which Italy was a firm supporter), Australia has helped remove a significant threat to international peace and security.
Australia and Italy have also recognized through our participation in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), the need for practical action to impede the trafficking of WMD, their delivery systems and related materials.
While the PSI is not specific to North Korea, it is clearly relevant to Australia's concerns with this country.
The strategic implications of a nuclear-armed - and proliferating - North Korea are deeply worrying for Australia, our region and the international community.
Terrorism and the proliferation of WMD have highlighted the risk that failed or failing states could become havens for such threats.
I know that Italy is particularly concerned about state failure in African countries such as Liberia and Somalia. In Australia, we worry about the potential breakdown of state institutions in the south pacific - notably in Solomon Islands.
Promoting transparency and sound policies that underpin good governance in failing states is imperative.
Furthermore, good governance - including open economic policy - is essential for nations to access the benefits of globalization.
In this respect, trade liberalization is vital to development.
Indeed, in Australia's view the removal of market access barriers, particularly in sectors of significance to developing countries, would produce the development dividend promised by the Doha round.
For this reason, Australia is very disappointed by the set back at Cancun and considers the result a missed opportunity.
Nevertheless, Australia will certainly be making the strongest contribution it can to this process in the coming months.
Multilateral diplomacy
In confronting the challenges of security, terrorism, governance and failed states, we need to find new effective solutions alongside the traditional mechanisms of multilateral diplomacy.
Australia remains a strong supporter of multilateral institutions and processes. But only insofar as they are a means to an effective end - not ends in themselves.
Effective multilateral diplomacy remains vital to the promotion of international peace and security; the UN and its organs central to that task.
But for the UN to respond effectively to contemporary challenges, it needs to be more focused and less bogged down in sterile debates.
That is why last week at the 58th session of the United Nations General Assembly, I promoted the need for UN reform and supported the Secretary General's call for a fundamental review of the UN's organs.
As Australia has long argued, the composition of the Security Council is out of step with geopolitical realities. The permanent membership of the Security Council should be expanded to reflect the current realities - with the addition of Japan, India Brazil, Indonesia and an African nation.
Working with the EU
In tackling global challenges, Australia is working closely with the EU.
With two permanent members of the Security Council and 23 more votes in the United Nations, an enlarged EU consisting of 25 members, will have significant obligations as a global actor.
A fundamental challenge for the EU post-may 2004 will be to demonstrate to its own citizens, and to others, that it has the capacity and willingness to fulfill its responsibilities by undertaking meaningful collective action outside the European theatre.
The more cohesive the new EU is internally, and the more coherent the efforts of the new EU are in response to major international challenges, the more credibility it will win as an architect of global stability.
That will require a continuation of the good work being done by the EU in developing a strategic international outlook. In particular, the EU must find a workable way forward in developing its common foreign and security policy.
Certainly Javier Solana's strategy for a more secure Europe, presented at the European Council Summit at Thessaloniki in June, sets out a clear EU role in strengthening regional and global security.
That strategy focuses sharply on the risks posed by terrorism, failed states, WMD and organized crime.
I also note the European commission's recent strategy to enhance the EU's external policy of coherence and contribution through the roles it plays in UN institutions.
Importantly, Mr Solana envisages, as a last resort, the use of force.
Let me make one thing clear: I do not believe Europe should set itself up as a strategic competitor with the United States. For those of us outside of the Atlantic region we know the creation of strategic tension between the US and Europe would be damaging to global security.
Creating destructive competition between North America and Europe would deeply complicate the struggle against terrorism and the proliferation of WMD.
Europe and the US must preserve the notion that served the world so well during the Cold War of a united western alliance.
Europe has played a crucial stabilizing role in its own region. Of note, in the Balkans, the EU continues to act as a key figure in assisting Serbia and Montenegro and other former Yugoslav states progress reforms which will allow them one day to become fully-fledged members of Europe and the democratic world.
The EU has also served as an important force in generating European policy responses to foreign crises, as in Afghanistan or in the Middle East.
In particular, Australia appreciates Italy's role as a major contributor to peacekeeping operations, most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In our region, Australia has particularly welcomed the EU's capacity building counter0-terrorism assistance programs to South-East Asia.
We have also welcomed the benefits of the EU's generous financial support to East Timor and its 60 million Euro contribution to projects in the ASEAN region.
We would welcome the EU's support for an extended UN mandate in East Timor, and its engagement in support of the regional assistance initiative for Solomon Islands.
Australia and the EU are working together - under the Australia - EU agenda for cooperation adopted on April 16 this year - to deliver practical outcomes in a range of areas that affect our stability and prosperity, including security, education, transport, development cooperation and migration and asylum issues.
The Agenda for Cooperation demonstrates the pragmatic cooperation that characterizes Australian relations with the EU, and provides ballast for our relationship.
That ballast is useful when we have our differences; agriculture clearly being one major area of discordance.
Australia calls for the elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies, substantial improvements in market access and substantial reductions in domestic support.
We have highlighted - including in some of Europe's pre-eminent publications - the detrimental effect of European agricultural subsidies on developing country farmers.
And we have pointed out that the OECD has estimated support and protection for agriculture in rich OECD nations runs at $318 billion; five times the level of development aid for poor nations.
In our view, the case for fundamental agricultural reform is crystal clear.
We unashamedly impress this upon our European counterparts at every opportunity, as they impress their interests upon us.
Relations with Italy
Ladies and gentlemen
My discussions here in Rome have highlighted for me the opportunities which exist for cooperation between Australia and Italy, as well as with the European Union more generally.
Italy and Australia enjoy a very warm, constructive and longstanding relationship underpinned by strong people-to-people ties.
Migration has been pivotal in shaping modern Australia, and the Italian community in particular has made on the greatest contributions.
Having visited the Venice biennale this week, I know that no people appreciate the arts, or indeed, the finer things in life more than Italians.
Without the contribution the Italian community has made to the enrichment of our culture, Australia would be a much more sterile place. And I am pleased to say that the integration of Italian culture into the fabric of mainstream Australia has come about both naturally and seamlessly.
I cannot underestimate the contribution individual Australians of Italian descent - far too many to name here - have made both to Australian life and to our international reputation through their achievements in the arts, on the sporting field and in the worlds of commerce and politics.
So, building on this basis, it is not surprising that Australia and Italy share many - and growing - commercial, cultural and educational links, including an extensive range of bilateral agreements.
Today I had the pleasure of signing a new agreement - the Working Holiday Maker Arrangement - which will give greater scope to young Australians and young Italians wishing to explore each others' countries.
Perhaps as a result of our close community ties, our commercial links are also strong. Italy is Australia's second largest export market in Europe, with exports valued at $1.86 billion. But there is scope for further Italian investment in Australia - as at June 2002, Italy had investments in Australia worth just $562 million.
By investing more in Australia, Italian investors would benefit from one of the strongest performing economies in the developed world, and of course from our location in the Asia-Pacific region.
With our community and economic ties binding us so closely, Australia and Italy will continue to share common perspectives on most major international issues.
And Australia will continue to look to Italy as an important partner in the EU and the UN.
Of course Italy will be driven by specific priorities of its own in these forums. But there will always be scope for Australia and Italy to work together in areas of mutual interest.
Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen
Australia is well placed to meet the challenges of a more uncertain international environment.
We are working at a national, regional and global level, and in close concert with our friends and allies - including the EU and Italy - to guarantee our future.
Together I am sure that Italy and Australia can continue to sustain a relationship in which we share not only common interests, but a deep understanding.
Thank you.