Speech
to the Regional Ministerial Meeting on Counter-Terrorism
Bali, 4 February 2004
(check against delivery)
Distinguished guests, my co-host Dr Wirajuda, ministers, ladies and gentlemen.
As co-host I am pleased to welcome you to this meeting on Strengthening Regional Coordination and Cooperation in Combating Terrorism in the Asia-Pacific.
We are here because terrorism poses a threat to the security and prosperity of all our nations.
The tragic events of September 11, 2001, showed the world in the most horrific terms that terrorists could strike anywhere
. . . and since then our worst fears for the region were realised when, not far from this very place, 202 people from all over the world lost their lives in a senseless and evil act of terrorism.
Regrettably, South East Asia remains a front-line in the fight against terrorism.
More attacks which threaten the safety and security of our citizens are inevitable.
The threat we are facing cannot be negotiated away and its defeat will require resolve and commitment over the long term.
I cannot emphasise enough the regional nature of the threat we face from terrorism.
Terrorists groups are cooperating across the region, transiting borders, using one country to train in, another to raise funds in, another for safehaven.
They are working together to maximise the impact of their activities.
Terrorism has much in common with other transnational crimes, although it poses a more direct threat to the security of the state and its citizens.
It chooses targets in those countries most vulnerable
. . . uses as its base those countries most hospitable - for example al Qaeda in Afghanistan - and exploits weak states with poor governance.
It relies on safe houses and protective communities to shelter from the law, and employs false identities, money laundering, fraud and extortion as tools of the trade
. . . it employs legitimate fronts to pursue its barbaric plans.
And, as is the case with other transnational crimes, combating terrorism necessitates cooperation and collaboration between law enforcement agencies across national jurisdictions.
In our own region, collectively we have disrupted the Jemaah Islamiyah network through the capture and detention of well over 200 JI members.
But we have not disabled it - key operatives are still at large.
And JI remains highly resilient and committed to its cause.
It is planning for the long term, actively training and recruiting young men as the next generation of leaders.
JI is adaptable, and can be expected to develop or adopt other tactics and targets as necessary.
Such a threat demands a comprehensive and cooperative regional response.
It is one from which we cannot retreat.
Defeating Terrorism - Law Enforcement
Ladies and gentleman
Indonesia and Australia have together learnt an important lesson about defeating terrorism following the despicable terrorist acts of October 2002 here in Bali.
That is, the crucial importance of police forces working together.
It is a lesson that has informed our approaches to terrorism since and has led us to host this meeting
. . . to find ways to improve law enforcement cooperation across the region to help defeat terrorism.
Traditionally we have considered law enforcement as separate from national security.
Law enforcement has historically been concerned with protecting society from criminals and maintaining public order.
Whereas national security has concerned itself largely with safeguarding the territory of a state from the threat of an armed attack from another state.
Law enforcement was the preserve of police forces; national security the domain of defence forces.
This distinction has, however, become less rigid - driven by the global security circumstances we face today.
Of course, threats to national security and prosperity have for some time included transnational crimes, often carried out by non-state actors - the illicit drugs trade, people smuggling, human trafficking, arms trading, money laundering, and high-tech crime
. . . .but the situation has become increasingly urgent in light of the threats we now know we face from international terrorism.
And we are learning that it is the instruments of law enforcement, rather than the traditional defence forces, which must play a crucial role in dealing with these kinds of threats to our national security.
Regional Law Enforcement Cooperation - Getting Results
We in the region have a good history of police cooperation in addressing transnational crimes such as the illicit drugs trade, people smuggling and human trafficking.
And many of our law enforcement agencies have experience in cooperating with others to achieve broader common foreign policy goals - such as regional stability.
Since September 11, Australia has been expanding its links with regional partners, particularly in the area of law enforcement and counter terrorism.
We have signed 9 bilateral MOUs - bilateral arrangements - on counter terrorism cooperation.
These MOUs provide a framework for practical, operational-level cooperation, such as the exchange of information and intelligence
. . . and for capacity building for law enforcement agencies and other agencies involved in counter terrorism activities.
The Key to More Results
There is no question that our police forces must continue on this path of cooperation and collaboration - sharing criminal intelligence, assisting with evidence collection, collaborating on terrorist profiles, and exchanging expertise and experience.
This is happening to a degree already and we are building on earlier relationships established to address other transnational crimes.
The 23rd meeting of the ASEAN Chiefs of Police (ASEANAPOL), held in Manila last September, dealt extensively with the need to improve regional counter terrorism cooperation and collaboration.
And, only a fortnight ago, here in Bali, Interpol hosted an Asia-Pacific Conference on Counter-Terrorism for senior police in the region.
Regional meetings, such as the first ASEAN Plus Three Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime, held in Bangkok in January, continue to keep the importance of cooperation in the fight against terrorism high on the political agenda.
And bodies such as the International Law Enforcement Academy in Bangkok and the South East Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism are providing the institutional means for training and helping to build links.
Australia for its part has been increasing its international police liaison network since September 11 and now has some fifty police officers posted to 30 strategic locations around the world, including 14 in our region.
Their aim is to facilitate the exchange of information, build relationships and enhance cooperation.
Conclusion
Ladies and Gentlemen
Later today you will be hearing from General Made Pastika and Australian Federal Agent Graham Ashton about cooperation between the Indonesian and Australian police forces following the Bali bombings
. . . and the Indonesian success in bringing the perpetrators of this atrocity to justice.
I return to this because it has been a sterling example of practical cooperation at work
. . . and practical cooperation that works.
This is cooperation to which both our countries have committed energy, resolve and resources - and will continue to build on.
A tangible demonstration of this will be the Australia-Indonesia initiative to establish the Indonesia Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation.
This Centre will enhance the operational expertise of law enforcement agencies in dealing with transnational crime, with the main focus on improving counter-terrorism skills.
It will also have an operational mandate, with the Centre's experts on hand to provide operational support and professional guidance at the request of authorities.
In a sense, it will institutionalise the cooperation we had following the Bali bombings.
Over time, we would envisage the Centre developing into an asset which regional countries can both benefit from and contribute to.
We have also renewed our bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Counter-Terrorism with Indonesia, the arrangement that provides the framework for this excellent relationship
. . . and we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding providing for the exchange of information between our financial intelligence units.
It has been the great results from the collaboration between our two police forces that convinced Dr Wirajuda and I of the importance of law enforcement cooperation in fighting terrorism
. . . and that led us to host this meeting.
Ladies and gentlemen
A few decades ago it would have been highly unusual to have police and foreign ministers meeting to discuss a common regional security threat.
But today law enforcement agencies are in the front-line of regional efforts to win the war on terrorism.
We must understand that we are all under threat, whether it be from the human and economic costs of terrorism
. . . or from the ambition of some terrorist groups for Taleban-style theocracies in moderate Muslim countries.
But let me be clear, the campaign we are waging against terror is not a war against Muslims or against Islam.
There is a clear distinction between the vast majority of Muslims and the very small minority that seek to pervert the great religion of Islam through indiscriminate destruction.
What we face today is simply the age-old conflict between the mainstream and a violent minority
. . . between tolerance and intolerance
. . . between those who uphold the integrity of their faith and those prepared to kill innocents in its name.
Over the next two days we have the opportunity to demonstrate our collective resolve and build stronger, more effective regional machinery to fight terrorism
. . . not only for the safety and prosperity of our own communities and for our own region, but for greater global peace and stability.
The struggle against terrorism is a battle we must win. . . .and we can only do it together.