E&OE
1 February 2008
Interview with Japanese national broadcaster, NHK
Subjects: Whaling, Kyoto, Iraq
INTERVIEWER: Thank you for this opportunity. First question is about whaling. First of all, you met your counterpart, Foreign Minister Koumura yesterday. How important is the issue of whaling for your administration or the Australian people and what message did you convey to Minister Koumura?
MINISTER: Well, the message I conveyed to Foreign Minister Koumura was that the Australian Government and the Australian people have a strong view that Japan should cease whaling, and that is an area where Australia and Japan agree to disagree. And Mr Koumura and I were at pains to ensure that whatever disagreement we have, so far as whaling is concerned, doesn’t disturb the fundamental relationship and partnership that Australia and Japan have, which is based on our economic relationship, but also our security and strategic relationship. So the view I put to Mr Koumura was that Australia wants Japan to cease whaling. I was disappointed that whaling had resumed in the last day or so. But in the end, we simply agree to disagree on this matter.
INTERVIEWER: Whaling issue involves a different culture, tradition and interpretation of international law. Why is Australian Government taking such an open and strong diplomatic pressure against a country with such a close relations when there is no clear international legal basis for banning Japanese research whaling?
MINISTER: Well, the Japanese Government’s position is that the whaling is for research purposes. We don’t believe that any research into whaling has to be lethal, which is why we regard what’s occurring as the killing of whales, not scientific research. We believe that research into whales can occur without killing them, without that research being lethal. So our view is that it’s not scientific research; it’s simply the killing of whales. And that’s a strong view of the Australian Government and a strong view of the Australian people.
Now, one of the things which I’ve indicated to Mr Koumura is that we are giving consideration to whether Australia pursues a possible international legal action, so far as whaling is concerned. We’re giving very careful consideration to that. I’ve given an undertaking to Mr Koumura that we will consult and have a dialogue with the Japanese Government about that, but that is one of the things we’re giving consideration to.
INTERVIEWER: Sea Shepherd’s ship, the Steve Irwin, is coming back to Melbourne on February 2nd. What is the stand of Australian Government on the actions and behaviour of the two whom your government helped to be released?
MINISTER: The Australian Government helped safely transport those two men from Japanese whaling vessel back to the Steve Irwin, and that was done both at the request of, and with the cooperation of, the Japanese Government, and I was very pleased with that cooperation and that assistance, just as the Japanese Government was pleased that Australia was able to provide that assistance to remove the men safely from the Japanese whaling vessel.
Now, I’ve made it clear, as I have from the first moment I became Foreign Minister, that when it comes to actions in the Southern Ocean, when it comes to actions on the high seas, everyone has to exercise restraint, and everyone has to conduct themselves in a manner which puts safety at sea as the highest and the paramount consideration.
If anything has occurred which is unlawful or illegal, then I condemn that. The Australian Federal Police is currently evaluating the incident and what occurred on the high seas, and so far as the Australian Government is concerned, in the first instance it’s a matter for the Australian Federal Police to evaluate, and that’s what they are currently doing.
INTERVIEWER: So you have stated that you wouldn’t condone any of the illegal activities on the high seas?
MINISTER: Well, not only do I not condone it, I condemn it. If anything has occurred which is unlawful or illegal, then I’ve made it clear I condemn that. I’ve also made it clear that the most important thing that people can do on the high seas is to exercise restraint and conduct themselves consistently with maritime safety.
INTERVIEWER: They insist that they will go back to Southern Ocean for more protests. Will the Australian Government allow them to go ahead again?
MINISTER: In my conversation last night with Mr Koumura, he made it clear to me that the Japanese Government understands completely that the actions of the NGOs, whether it’s Greenpeace and the Esperanza, or whether it’s the Sea Shepherd and the Steve Irwin, are the actions of those concerned. They’re not actions of the Australian Government, and they’re not matters that the Australian Government is responsible for.
Indeed, on the day that the two men were transferred back to the Steve Irwin, the captain of the Steve Irwin said publicly that he didn’t see the need for a repeat of such an incident. I strongly agree with that and I hope that they take their own advice.
But whatever other people do, or whatever Greenpeace or the Sea Shepherd do, they should exercise restraint and they should conduct themselves in a manner which puts safety at sea the paramount consideration.
INTERVIEWER: According to Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Watson, the founder of Sea Shepherd, claims that information from aboard the Australian Customs ship the Oceanic Viking, also tailing the Japanese fleet, was being leaked to him. Is this true?
MINISTER: Well, not to my knowledge. The purpose of the Oceanic Viking’s mission is to monitor and survey the Japanese whaling vessels for the purpose of getting evidence for possible use in a potential international legal case. That is the sole purpose of the mission. That mission was disturbed to enable the two men to be removed from the Japanese whaling vessel and transported back to the Steve Irwin, but the information, whether it’s photographic or video evidence, that is being collected by the Oceanic Viking is for the purpose of assisting the Australian Government in contemplating whether an international legal case can be pursued. It’s giving as evidence as to whether what is occurring is scientific research or simply the killing of whales.
INTERVIEWER: So now you are preparing for a law suit at the International Court of Justice. When will you sue the Japanese Government?
MINISTER: We haven’t come to a conclusion about that. We are looking at potential international legal options. We’ve made no decision and we’ve come to no conclusion, and I indicated last night to Mr Koumura that that was what we were doing, and I also undertook that the Australian Government would continue to discuss the issue with the Japanese Government, that we would be in dialogue with them about that.
The purpose, as I say, of the Oceanic Viking’s mission is to collect evidence for the purposes of a potential international legal case, but we’re giving careful and orderly thought to whether it’s appropriate for Australia to bring an international legal case against Japanese whaling.
INTERVIEWER: Okay. Change the topics. People here, Japanese, are interested in how different or similar your government’s policies are, to those of the previous Howard Government? So, first question on the environment. What is the next big step after the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol?
MINISTER: Well, you’re quite right. There was a very stark difference between the previous government’s approach to climate change and the new government’s approach to climate change. One of the very first things the new Rudd Government did was to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and present that ratification to the UN Secretary General at the Bali Conference.
The Australian Government believes, as the Japanese Government believes, with the recent Cool Earth announcement by your Prime Minister, that we need to have deep cuts in emissions into the future, and it’s important now that Australia and Japan cooperate, as we will, on these issues.
It’s important that both developed economies and developing economies understand that there need to be cuts in emissions, and it’s important that after the Bali Conference all nations do their bit and make their efforts to ensure that we do get those cuts in emissions.
INTERVIEWER: What are the environmental challenges that your government faces now?
MINISTER: I think the big challenge is getting support and agreement within the international community about the nature and extent of cuts to emissions, and that requires not just bilateral conversations between, for example Australia and Japan; it also includes working within regional and international forums. Australia is currently engaged in a meeting of major economies in Hawaii where our Climate Change Minister Penny Wong is discussing climate change issues there. So what we need is a long term commitment to ensure that post the Bali Conference, the international community, both developed economies and developing economies agrees to long term deep cuts in emissions.
INTERVIEWER: Second question about the withdrawal of Australian forces from Iraq. What was the reaction from Bush’s administration when you visited Washington this time?
MINISTER: I’ve just come from the United States, a very successful meeting, where just as in Japan, I’m underlining the fundamental importance of the relationship between Australia and Japan. In the United States I underlined the fundamental importance of alliance between Australia and the United States. Just as Japan has an alliance with the United States, so does Australia.
The United States administration understands very well our decision to withdraw our combat troops from Iraq. This was a long-standing election commitment and we are doing it in a way which minimises disruption, and we’re doing it in cooperation, not just with the United States Government, but also the United Kingdom Government. So it’s well understood by the United States Government and it hasn’t, in any way, disturbed or got in the way of the fundamentally important relationship that we have with the United States.
INTERVIEWER: The development of the security triangle in the Pacific, America, Australia and Japan, the Howard government pursued. Will there be any change?
MINISTER: No, the new government supports the trilateral dialogue. We think that a dialogue between Australia, the US and Japan is important and we will be progressing that. One of the first things I did when I became Foreign Minister was to have a conversation with Deputy Minister Yabunaka, who was in Australia having discussions at officer level, under the trilateral dialogue. So, we think the trilateral dialogue is important, and we will continue to pursue that. It’s one of the things which underlines and reinforces the security and strategic relationship and partnership that Australia and Japan have.
INTERVIEWER: Last question. I’m sorry, going back to whaling, please say again how you are considering to avoid a diplomatic problem between Japan and Australia?
MINISTER: One of the things which enables Australia and Japan to agree to disagree over whaling is the fact we have a fundamentally strong partnership. If we didn’t have such a strong relationship, if we didn’t have such a strong partnership, then disagreeing about whaling would potentially cause us difficulties.
But Mr Koumura and I are both of the view that this is not an issue which we will allow to disturb the economic and the security and the strategic partnership between Australia and Japan. The fact that we have such a good relationship enables us to agree to disagree over that particular issue.
INTERVIEWER: But I think that if you have a lawsuit, like that action, I’m worried about that action.
MINISTER: Which is why I’ve said to the Japanese Government – said to Mr Koumura – this is something that we are giving careful consideration to, but it’s also something we will continue to have conversation and a dialogue with the Japanese Government about.
Of course we understand the significance of going down an international legal road, which is why we’re giving it very careful consideration, but I’ve undertaken to discuss that issue with the Japanese Government.
Ends
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