E&OE
13 August 2008
Interview - Sky News AM Agenda
COMPERE: Let's go straight to Jakarta now. I'm joined from there by the Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith. Mr Smith, thank you for your time.
We'll get to what you're doing in Indonesia shortly, but firstly, Georgia says Russian forces have halted their advance on Georgian territory, but they're not actually withdrawing. What's the latest information you have on the situation?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, the latest information I have is that the Russian President, President Medvedev, has indicated he's prepared to effect a ceasefire. They've indicated that Russia will cease military operations. We welcome this very much.
This follows on the Georgian President's indication to the same effect late on the weekend.
This does set the scene for the ceasefire, although we know that there is sporadic fighting still going on. But the scene is set there now for an effective ceasefire, and we welcome very much the good work of the European Union, led by the French President, President Sarkozy, and also the good work of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, led by the Finnish Foreign Minister.
Together, they are now setting the scene for some sensible discussions between the Russians, the Georgians and the South Ossetians to try and bring about a peaceful solution to this long-running difficulty, which in recent days we've seen very terrible violence. Which, of course, we've indicated publicly we want it to stop straight away and have a dialogue to bring about a solution.
COMPERE: Well, most of the criticism from the west so far has been really directed at Russia, but doesn't Georgia too deserve condemnation for escalating the violence in the first place?
SMITH: Well, when the incident started on the night of the opening of the Olympics, Australia made it clear to all parties that we wanted the violence to stop, that we wanted to see a peaceful solution brought to the difficulty.
This has been a longstanding difficulty between Georgia, and Russia and the separatists in South Ossetia. South Ossetia declared its independence in 2005, 2006. That hasn't been respected or recognised by the international community. It hasn't been recognised by Australia, for example, like the vast bulk of the international community.
We respect Georgia's sovereignty over South Ossetia. There has been, effectively, a peacekeeping force in the area of Georgians and Russians and North Ossetians, and that has kept a very tense situation going for a long period of time.
But in the last week or so, we've seen terrible violence and we've called on all sides to stop the violence and to effect a ceasefire, and to bring about some sensible dialogue to see a long term solution.
We hope that we've got the ingredients of that now, although we do recognise that sporadic fighting continues to occur.
COMPERE: Do you think that Georgia expected more than just rhetorical support from the west?
SMITH: Well, there are indications that at officials level in the United Nations, that Georgia asked a range of nation states, including Australia, to consider military assistance.
Australia indicated, at officials level, that we weren't interested in providing military assistance. What we were interested in was making sure that there was cessation to the violence and that both Georgia and Russia sat down and tried to resolve the matter through a ceasefire through dialogue.
So whilst Australia has been making representations to all of the parties to effect a ceasefire, we do, of course, stand ready to render any assistance if that will help, in terms of ceasefire and also help in terms of humanitarian assistance, because we do now have, regrettably, very many displaced people in both South Ossetia and Georgia.
So we will give serious consideration to anything we can do on the humanitarian front, but we're a very long way, of course, from indicating any peacekeeping assistance.
The primary responsibility in this is, of course, with the relevant European organisations, and that's why we're very pleased that the European Union, led by the current President of the European Union, President Sarkozy of France, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has been at the forefront, trying to resolve a very difficult situation.
COMPERE: Minister, we do have news just in that the Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has agreed to form a national unity government, not with the main Opposition party. Instead, with a break-away Opposition group led by Arthur Mutambara. What's your reaction to that?
SMITH: Well, my reaction to that is I'll just calmly wait and see what emerges. Yes, I've seen references to those reports emerging. I prefer to wait until we see any official announcement by the Mugabe regime, by Mr Tsvangirai, and also by Mr Mbeki, who we know in recent days has been in Harare seeking to resolve the differences between the two parties.
Our starting point, of course, would be that any so-called government of national unity which did not involve Mr Tsvangirai would effectively be a farce. Mr Tsvangirai won the first round of the Presidential election. His party, the MDC, won a parliamentary majority.
We know that Mr Mutambara has had a break-away group of the MDC. They've been involved in the talks as well.
But any outcome which emerged, which did not involve Mr Tsvangirai would, effectively, be a farce and would fly in the face of any semblance of respecting the will of the Zimbabwe people.
COMPERE: Well, turning to your visit in Indonesia and the situation of the Bali Nine, obviously, an appeal for clemency will be pursued after the legal avenues have been exhausted. But what's the sense you get after your talks with the Foreign Minister there? Are you confident about the prospects of a pardon?
SMITH: Well, the sense I get is exactly the same as the sense I got when I first spoke to Mr Wirajuda in Bali in December and, again, in Perth in January, which is that the Indonesian Government will entertain our submissions, our representations, if and when we get to a stage where legal processes have exhausted themselves.
Currently, it's open to the three remaining members of the so-called Bali nine, who are currently subject to a death penalty. Further legal processes and appeal is open to them.
I simply made the point, as I have on previous occasions, that once all those processes have exhausted themselves, if any of them are subject to a death penalty, then we will make representations on their behalf, so far as clemency is concerned.
And again, Foreign Minister Wirajuda indicated that if we get to that point in time, then the Indonesian Government will consider our representations.
COMPERE: During your visit, you've made some announcements about Australia's funding of school programs in Indonesia's - we know Indonesia ... we know that madrassas, those religious schools in Indonesia, haven't always taught the most moderate of ideologies. How can the Government ensure that Australian money doesn't fund that sort of institution?
SMITH: Well yesterday, I went to South Sulawesi where, together with Foreign Minister Wirajuda, we officially opened the 1000th school that Australia is building. This is a very big project. It's part of our $2.5 billion Australia-Indonesia partnership, our development assistance partnership.
We'll end up, by the end of 2009, building 2000 junior high schools in Indonesia. The program is open to not just state schools, but also to religious schools or Muslim schools. But to qualify for the project that we support in partnership with Indonesia, the religious school, or the Muslim school has to teach national curriculum.
So it's not unlike religious schools in Australia where education is delivered both by state schools and by religious schools. But the key, so far as our project is concerned, is that the religious school needs to teach the national curriculum.
And currently, there are a mix of schools, both state schools and religious schools that have benefited from our support.
It's a terrific thing that we're doing and it's very widely and warmly appreciated by Indonesia, because many of the schools we're building in some of the poorest and most remote areas, and it gives those kids the chance of an education.
COMPERE: Stephen Smith, the Foreign Minister, thank you for joining us on AM Agenda this morning.
SMITH: Thanks very much.
[Ends]
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