E&OE
17 December 2008
Press Conference, Perth
SUBJECTS: Japan 2+2; Zimbabwe sanctions; Fiji; People smuggling; Bangladesh elections
STEPHEN SMITH: This afternoon I'll leave Perth to join my colleague the Minister for Defence Joel Fitzgibbon. We'll then travel to Japan and tomorrow we'll have the second Australia-Japan Defence and Foreign Minister ministerial council meeting. This is generally known as the 2 + 2 meeting, Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers from both Australia and Japan.
So Mr Fitzgibbon and I will meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Nakasone and Japanese Defence Minister Hamada.
This is the second 2 + 2 meeting. The first one was held in Tokyo in the middle of 2007. And it reflects the very important strategic, security and defence relationship and arrangement that Australia and Japan has.
Australia conducts a 2 + 2 forum with only two other nations, the United States and the United Kingdom. Japan conducts a 2 + 2 forum with only one other nation state, the United States. So this reflects the seriousness and the closeness of the security and strategic relationship with Japan.
This wSUBJECTS: Japan 2+2; Zimbabwe Sanctions; Fiji; People Smuggling; Bangladesh Electionsill be my fourth visit to Japan this year, and I'll take the opportunity of meeting with Nakasone to pursue bilateral issues between Australia and Japan.
Secondly, today I'm announcing that Australia is strengthening its sanctions against the brutal Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe. And these strengthened and additional sanctions go to financial and travel sanctions. We are adding to our current list of financial and travel sanctions by adding an additional 75 individuals associated with the regime, and four companies.
And this brings a total to over 250 individuals who are subject to Australia's travel and financial sanctions. These are members of the regime, close supporters of the regime or the adult children of the regime. And the enhanced sanctions today follows on recent similar moves from both the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
And Australia is again at the forefront of seeking to bring pressure on the brutal Mugabe regime to bring Zimbabwe back to a democratic state. But also to give Zimbabwe the chance of recovering from the terrible affliction that it is now suffering with the destruction of its economic, social and health base.
At the same time I'm also announcing an additional $1 million worth of humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe and this is aimed exclusively and effectively at the cholera crisis which we find in Zimbabwe at the moment, which we know from UN reports has now spread to neighbouring countries Botswana and South Africa.
This $1 million follows on from an announcement I made late last month for an additional $8 million worth of humanitarian assistance, both for food purposes and for sanitation purposes or anti-cholera purposes. And the contribution today takes Australia to the fifth-largest humanitarian donor so far as Zimbabwe is concerned.
We continue to be very strongly of the view that the solution so far as Zimbabwe is concerned is for Mr Mugabe to simply walk off the stage, to leave.
We've seen three months elapse since the agreement between Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai to form a government of national unity, and it's been quite clear ever since that agreement between Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai that Mr Mugabe is doing everything he can not just to delay any effective government of national unity but also to continue to conduct a campaign of violence and intimidation.
Finally, can I indicate today that Australia is very concerned at the conduct and threatened conduct of the interim government of Fiji. This particularly applies to the treatment handed out to a New Zealand national and New Zealand journalist who was denied consular assistance from New Zealand officers in Fiji. And we of course condemn any government, including the interim government of Fiji which denies consular assistance to a national.
As well, of course, you would have seen speculation that the interim Fiji government is contemplating expelling from Fiji the New Zealand Acting High Commissioner. Australia would very much regard this as a retrograde step. And we urge the interim Fiji government to not go down this road.
To reflect the Australian Government's concern about both of these matters I've instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to call in Fiji's Acting High Commissioner to Australia in Canberra today, to express our concern both on the denial of consular access to New Zealand officials of a New Zealand national, and also to express our concern about the threatened expulsion of the New Zealand High Commissioner.
I was in Fiji last week as a member of the Ministerial Contact Group together with my colleagues from Tonga, Samoa, PNG, Tuvalu and New Zealand. And the Ministerial Contract Group will make a report to the leaders of the Pacific Island Forum for the leaders to consider what action, if any, the leaders will take against Fiji and the interim government for Fiji's failure to hold an election by the end of March next year.
I'm happy to respond to questions on those and other matters.
QUESTION: Minister, on that last one, have any Australians encountered difficulties in Fiji in recent weeks?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, it's not the first time in recent times that we have seen journalists or editors of newspapers treated badly by the interim Fiji government. In the course of this year we've seen one newspaper editor who was an Australian national treated badly in our view. And we condemned that instance.
The instance that's been drawn to attention on this occasion is a New Zealand journalist who's a New Zealand national. Our complaint or concern is that the New Zealand officials in Fiji were denied consular access, which we condemn absolutely.
QUESTION: I believe it was bilateral talks that led to Murray McCully being given the ultimatum. And you were involved in bilateral talks before those journalists were [indistinct]...
STEPHEN SMITH: When I was in Fiji, when I was in Suva last week, I took the opportunity in the margins of the Ministerial Contact Group of the Pacific Island Forum to have a brief meeting with Commodore Bainimarama, the interim Prime Minister and also the interim Attorney-General. We discussed a number of bilateral issues between Australia and New Zealand.
Foreign Minister McCully from New Zealand also had a bilateral meeting with Commodore Bainimarama. The issue as I understand it, and this is of course a matter for New Zealand and Fiji, not directly a matter for Australia, but the issue as I understand it between Fiji and New Zealand is the application of New Zealand's travel bans against the interim government.
Australia also has travel bans and I've made the point, as I did in Fiji to Commodore Bainimarama and the interim Foreign Minister, that Australia will continue with its travel bans.
And we'll continue with our travel bans until such time as we see the interim Fiji government moving towards and making progress to an election and the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in Fiji. And we support New Zealand's travel bans. They are comparable in nature and we believe that Australia's travel bans and New Zealand's travel bans are very effective devices in putting pressure on the interim Fiji government to return and restore Fiji to democracy.
QUESTION: Why should they be singling out Mr McCully and not Australia?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, in the past we've seen complaints made by the interim government both against New Zealand and against Fiji. On this occasion, for whatever reason, the interim government is threatening to expel from Fiji the New Zealand Acting High Commissioner. That would be a retrograde step, in our view, and we're expressing our concern as I've indicated to the Fiji Acting High Commissioner to Australia in Canberra today on that very point.
QUESTION: How will the sanctions work without harming the people?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well we have consistently made three points so far as Zimbabwe is concerned: firstly, the removal of the brutal Mugabe regime; secondly, our preparedness and our willingness to do our best to help the ordinary people of Zimbabwe - to help the people of Zimbabwe in a humanitarian sense - which is why we have continued to apply humanitarian assistance through the United Nations and through international NGOs and through, for example, UNICEF. And we've continued to do that to an extent that the $1 million announcement for cholera that I've made today sees Australia become the fifth largest international humanitarian donor to Zimbabwe. We follow the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and the Netherlands.
And we've always taken the view that we want very much to restore democracy to Zimbabwe and respect for human rights and the rule of law. We also want to restore Zimbabwe's economy and social circumstances. It's now effectively and economic social and health basket case and that is a direct result of Mr Mugabe's actions. So we've always shown a willingness to help the Zimbabwe people.
At the same time we wanted to make the point to the brutal regime that we condemn their conduct; we hold them responsible for the terrible circumstances in which Zimbabwe finds itself.
And that is why our sanctions both financial and travel are targeted to members of the regime or close supporters of the regime. And in due course the full list of over 250 names will be found on the Reserve Bank's website when the regulations are promulgated to add the additional people against whom sanctions are being made.
But we've targeted our sanctions to impact adversely on supporters and members of the regime, and our humanitarian assistance is aimed to help as best we can the ordinary people of Zimbabwe who are not associated with the regime but simply suffer the terrible adverse consequences.
QUESTION: Do you intend to raise the issue of whaling in Japan, and what stage is the Federal Government at in terms of [indistinct] pursuing legal action?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, every time I've had a visit or a bilateral meeting in Japan I've raised the issue of whaling with my Foreign Ministerial counterpart. The first three occasions, or the first three trips this year was of course with former Foreign Minister Koumura.
I will raise it formally with Foreign Minister Nakasone; and make the point that we are disappointed that the Japanese whaling fleet has left Japanese waters heading for the Great Southern Oceans; that we continue to want to see a cessation of Japanese whaling in the Great Southern Oceans.
And we continue to work very strongly in a diplomatic sense both bilaterally but also multilaterally through the International Whaling Commission to persuade Japan to bring their lethal whaling program to an end.
So I'll make all of those points to Foreign Minister Nakasone. I met Foreign Minister Nakasone in Lima in the course of the APEC Foreign Ministers and Trade Ministers' meetings, had a bilateral meeting with him in Lima and made those points, and I'll repeat those points. And also make the point to him that we regard our envoy Sandy Holway as doing very good work.
So we continue to pursue assiduously a diplomatic solution to this dispute or disagreement between Australia and Japan. There was one up the back, sorry.
QUESTION: I - just further on Zimbabwe, given the ongoing deterioration of the situation there, would Australia support or even urge African countries to direct [indistinct] now?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well two things: firstly, we strongly support the actions of a number of countries in the last couple of days to bring the issue of Zimbabwe before the United Nations Security Council, and we strongly urge the Security Council to continue to show an interest in Zimbabwe. And I've been in communication with British Foreign Secretary Miliband who travelled to New York to be at the Security Council debate and discussion on Zimbabwe, to advise him of our enhanced sanctions and our increased humanitarian assistance.
So we continue to urge the Security Council and its members to be seized of Zimbabwe. It is time, in our view, for very serious consideration by the Security Council of the issue. At the same time we continue to urge Zimbabwe's neighbours, in particular South Africa, in particular members of the Southern African Development Community, SADC, to put maximum pressure on Zimbabwe.
And in recent times we've seen very robust and strong comments from the leadership of Botswana, from Kenya Prime Minister Odinga making very strong remarks against Mr Mugabe.
In the first instance we've always been of the view that Zimbabwe's neighbours, through the African Union and through the Southern African Development Community, is the best way of putting maximum pressure on Mr Mugabe. But we welcome very much the discussion at the Security Council, and we urge members of the Security Council to continue to take an interest in Zimbabwe.
QUESTION: Mr Smith, will you be asking the Japanese to be commit more military support in Afghanistan?
STEPHEN SMITH: No, I won't be doing that. What I certainly will be doing, and what Mr Fitzgibbon and I will be doing, will be to continue to make the point that we think it's very important for Japan to be involved in peacekeeping initiatives particularly in our region, in the Asia Pacific. And we'll continue to urge Japan to play its role in peacekeeping measures in the Asia Pacific.
We've seen, for example, Japanese personnel playing a role in East Timor, so we very much encourage Japan to be playing its role and its part in peace keeping arrangements, particularly in our region. But there are of course Japanese Constitutional issues which go to the capacity of the Japanese Government to send serving Japanese troops offshore. But we certainly welcome and encourage Japanese involvement in peacekeeping arrangements in our region.
QUESTION: Mr Smith, are you aware of reports that the Iraqi cabinet [indistinct] would clear the way for the exit of foreign troops other than US troops [indistinct] the year?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, we have been in very close consultation with the Iraqi Government and its officials over the very recent period seeking to resolve the question of the status of our forces.
In the last week or so, in the last couple of weeks, we've seen an agreement between Iraq and the United States to conclude the Status of Forces Agreement between the United States and Iraq, and we're now working very assiduously with Iraq to seek to resolve that issue in advance of the expiration of the United Nations Security Council mandate on the 31 December.
So there is not much time left, but we're working very closely with them and we hope to bring that matter to a conclusion in the next few days or week or so.
QUESTION: In other words you'd be looking to - to have that bill overturned and...
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, I'm not proposing to go into any of the detail, simply to say we're working very closely with the Iraqi Government. In recent weeks I've spoken to my Iraqi counterpart making the point that - that a Status of Forces Agreement or protections for the remaining Australian forces in Iraq is very important to Australia. And we're seeking to resolve that to our satisfaction.
QUESTION: How many are there in Iraq now?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well the full detail of those you can get from - from the Defence, from - the full detail you can get from the Defence Minister. I don't carry the precise detail in my head, but there are a range of logistical support forces who continue to be in or around Iraq.
There's a frigate which helps protect Iraqi oil platforms. There are Air Force logistical arrangements and there are what are known as embeds or third country deployees who continue to serve. Full detail is available from the Defence ministry.
QUESTION: Do you have any intelligence on asylum seekers coming to Australia? And are there any boats off the WA coast that are currently being...
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, I never talk about intelligence in any context; that's the first point.
The second, let me make some general remarks about people smuggling and the arrival of boats.
Firstly, in terms of portfolio responsibility, all the detail of particular arrivals, that's of course a matter for the Minister for Home Affairs Mr Debus and also for the Minister for Immigration Senator Evans. So, some of the precise detail I'll obviously leave to them.
But let me make some general points. We are very assiduous in seeking to protect Australian borders. We have enhanced in recent times both the aerial and the seaborne surveillance measures. And part of the Prime Minister's national security statement in the last week or so was to enhance our logistical arrangements to ensure that Customs became both a customs and border security service. And we've seen the success of the surveillance, both the seaborne surveillance and the aerial surveillance in recent weeks. That's the first point.
Secondly, the arrivals this year are still comparable to arrivals last year. But we are of course concerned with any arrival to Australia. Our very strong analysis is that what is causing the arrivals at this time are both seasonal factors but also very strong push factors.
We've seen ongoing difficulties in Iraq and very bad circumstances in Afghanistan, and very difficult circumstances in Sri Lanka. And it is the so-called push factors which see people coming to Australia or seeking to come to Australia.
It's very important for us to address those factors but it's also very important for us to be working very closely with our neighbours in the region, particularly in South-East Asia and particularly Indonesia. And we've been working very closely with the Indonesian government and its agencies and instrumentalities on this issue in recent weeks and months.
And we continue to do everything to ensure, firstly, that we're very vigilant but, secondly, that our borders are protected and, thirdly, that we understand very carefully the causes for the boats arriving and they are very much in our view the push factors particularly from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka and Iraq.
QUESTION: Mr Smith, the - we read this morning about a seventh boat being detected. At what point does the Government, the Australian Government, accept that maybe it's the change of government and the change of policy that's encouraging these arrivals?
STEPHEN SMITH: We strongly reject that faulty analysis. I've seen the assertion made by some members of the Opposition that what has caused this is a change to arrangements so far as to temporary protection visas are concerned. You only need to look at the history when the previous government introduced a temporary protection visa arrangement. We didn't see a decline or a decrease in arrivals, we saw an increase in arrivals.
It's always been our analysis that it is the push factors. What is occurring in and around our region in terms of troubled territory or difficult circumstances in other countries that causes people to flee. And, secondly, we made the change to the temporary protection visa arrangements, from memory, in March or April or May of this year, and we didn't see an immediate response to that so far as arrivals are concerned. These arrivals, on our analysis, are both seasonal and because of the so-called push factors.
QUESTION: But it's a very big world, Mr Smith, and I accept what you say about people fleeing but they seem to be fleeing in greater numbers now to Australia that they ever were.
STEPHEN SMITH: Because circumstances in Afghanistan, as we know, are very difficult, circumstances in Sri Lanka are very difficult, and there are ongoing difficulties in Iraq. These things are...
QUESTION: But why would they not flee somewhere else? Why do they seem to be coming in increasing numbers to Australia?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, Australia is not the only place they flee to. That's well known to the International Organization for Migration and for the United Nations refugee institutions. Australia is not the only place to which they flee.
But, what is our approach and attitude? Our approach and attitude is threefold. Firstly, very strict border security and surveillance, both aerial and seaborne. And we've seen the success of that in recent times with the picking up of a half a dozen or seven boats, firstly.
Secondly, the need to understand what is the cause, which is the push factors.
And, thirdly, and very importantly, to be working closely with our regional neighbours to stop the boats arriving in the first place. And that's what we're doing assiduously, as Minister Debus and Minister Evans have indicated over the last couple of weeks.
QUESTION: Got some questions on Bob McMullan. Can you confirm that he's going to oversee the election in Bangladesh?
STEPHEN SMITH: We are sending we are sending one observer sponsored by the Australian Government to the election in Bangladesh which takes place towards the end of December. Bob has been invited by an international organisation to attend and to also observe as part of an international observer mission, and Bob is doing that. A formal announcement will be made in the next few days or so but I'm very happy to confirm that, yes, we're supporting one Australian observer as part of a Parliamentary observer mission. And Bob is being invited and supported by an international observer arrangement.
Bob has a longstanding interest in Bangladesh and it's to his great credit that he's going at this time of year, and his advice on the election and its outcome will be very valuable to us.
QUESTION: What's your reaction to Bangladesh lifting the state of emergency?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, we welcome very much the interim government's efforts to return Bangladesh to democracy. There's a stark contrast between what we see, for example, in Fiji, the refusal of an interim government or a military government to return and restore Fiji to democracy, and Bangladesh where the interim government has been working very assiduously to bring about an election.
Yes, there has been some delay, but we now see the election scheduled to take place before the end of this month. We welcome that very much. We support Bangladesh's return to democracy. We hope very much that there will be a peaceful and peaceable election. We hope that it's not disturbed by violence and we hope that it allows the full and free expression of the democratic will of the Bangladeshi people. And we look forward to Bangladesh returning to democracy.
QUESTION: And you're hopeful it will be a fair election?
STEPHEN SMITH: Very hopeful, very hopeful.
This may be the last press conference I do in Perth this year, so can I thank you all for your cooperation and your fair and faithful reporting of all of the issues. And can I wish you all the best for Christmas and the New Year, and I look forward to seeing you next year.
Thanks very much.
[Ends]
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