Transcript E&OE
19 May 2009
Interview by Virginia Trioli and Joe O'Brien - ABC2 Breakfast News
Subjects: Sri Lanka; trial of Aung San Suu KyiStephen Smith: Good morning.
Virginia Trioli: Do you believe the Tamil rebellion in Sri Lanka is now over as a result of this?
Stephen Smith: Well, it's quite clear that the military conflict is either over or all but over. That's been imminent for some time, so the priority now, I think, shifts very much to the protection of civilians who've been displaced or any other civilians who remain within what is left of the conflict zone. But also now that the Sri Lankan Government has won a military victory, they now have to win the peace; they now have to see whether it's possible to get a long-term enduring peace. They can only do that through political reform, political reconciliation, through a political compact with the Sri Lankan people; that's now the challenge both for them and also for the international community.
Joe O'Brien: And giving the Tamil people a degree of autonomy there in the north-east?
Stephen Smith: If you look at some of the suggestions that have come for political reform within Sri Lanka, that's one of the issues which the Sri Lankan Government has publicly floated. I spoke to their Foreign Minister last month, and that was one of the issues I pressed upon him, that this is not a 20 to 30 year old conflict that you can win by military force alone. There's got to be a political solution. So I think that's one of the things that they will now be looking at very carefully and closely. But it's also one of the things which the international community, in my view, has to press upon them. It's one thing after a very long period of time, through a terrible, tragic, bitter fight that's lasted 25, 26 years to do that, but then to not get anything long-term out of it. So the challenge now is, can we help the Sri Lankan Government, the Sri Lankan people, achieve an enduring, lasting peace.
Virginia Trioli: Do you have concerns about Tamil-led terrorism as a result of the actual conflict itself being over, but the desire for a homeland continuing?
Stephen Smith: Look, I'll make two points, firstly about Australia. Through all of this very difficult time, we've seen protests throughout Australia; they have invariably been peaceful and very well conducted.
Virginia Trioli: Up until about last night.
Stephen Smith: In the last 24 to 48 hours we've seen a terrible incident. That'll clearly be the subject of a criminal investigation and we hope criminal charges. So I've got to be careful about what I say about that. But obviously that on its face or at its surface, appears to be related to this issue. If I can just urge all of the Australian Sri Lankan community to exercise restraint and not let emotions run away with themselves and to leave those matters to the police. More generally, why Australia says that you've got to have a political solution. You don't want to turn another young generation of Tamils in Sri Lanka into another generation of cadres who are only interested in terrorist activity or in suicide bombing. So that's why the focus now has to go on those two fronts. Firstly, making sure that civilians who have been displaced, and there will be hundreds of thousands of those, are treated in accordance with international humanitarian principles, with access by the international organisations - the UNHCR, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Red Cross - that's important. But now, day one, the Sri Lankan Government has to start that political rapprochement, that political reconciliation.
Joe O'Brien: We might just turn to Burma now, and the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi. This strange story of this American with home made flippers swimming across a lake, does it sound like a set-up to you?
Stephen Smith: It is a strange story and if the Burmese courts were transparent we might be able to get some clear indication of that. We're, of course, much more concerned about Aung San Suu Kyi than we are about the American national, though of course we would want him to be treated appropriately before the courts. She should be released immediately and unconditionally. That's been the Australian Government position for some time. We're gravely concerned about this trial process. We understand it will continue today. It may well continue for a period of time. We think there's something up to 20-odd witnesses. One of our officers tried to get access to the court yesterday and was refused. The only diplomat allowed entry was the US Consul, and that's clearly related to the US national who's also involved. But she should be released immediately. One of the good things that's come, I think, in the last 24 hours, there has been a significant call for her release and significant calls in her support, from regional countries. From our neighbours: from Indonesia, from Singapore, from the Philippines, from Thailand; from key ASEAN countries. This is a very good sign and we welcome that very much. And also very strong remarks overnight from my Japanese counterpart, Mr Nakasone.
Virginia Trioli: What will Australia's response be if she's jailed for - for another five years, or another period of time?
Stephen Smith: We will continue to make all the points that we've made, both to the Burmese regime directly, but also to and with the international community. This can't go on.
Virginia Trioli: Does China need to get involved here?
Stephen Smith: We believe all of Burma's neighbours, China, India, and Thailand, that they all have a responsibility, together with the rest of the international community, to seek to bring Burma back to a democratic state where human rights are protected, where political prisoners, not just Aung San Suu Kyi, are released. Australia is a member of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Friends of Burma Group and we are very active in that. But it is, as I say, a good development to see some of the ASEAN countries coming out with strong calls overnight. But it's both Burma's regional neighbours, regional partners, and the rest of the international community that needs to continue to put pressure on them to return to democracy and to respect civil and human rights.
Joe O'Brien: We've had Australian war ships in the last couple of days involved in protecting merchant ships off Somalia. The situation there seems to be deteriorating. What's the Australian Government doing to stabilise the situation in Somalia?
Stephen Smith: Well, I've announced a $2 million contribution from Australia to assist in Somalia; a million and a half to the United Nations fund and half a million to the African Union Mission in Somalia. Fighting has resumed in the last week or so in Mogadishu against the transitional federal government. So, we strongly support the resolutions before the Security Council and we're doing our bit to try and bring Somalia, which has been in a terrible state again for 20 years, into a much better state. The difficulties onshore, of course, have seen the piracy offshore. And HMAS Sydney and Ballarat, who frankly just happened to be in the area because they were involved in other international training exercises, did a really good job in coming to assistance. More generally, we are looking very seriously at what, if anything, our Defence Forces can do to contribute to the international force which is in the Gulf of Aden, doing it's best to look after ships as they transit through the Gulf.
Virginia Trioli: So, a possible increase or commitment, military commitment, there by Australia?
Stephen Smith: Not so much military, but naval. We're looking at whether it's possible for us to deploy some, some or one, naval assets to add to both the United States and European contingent there. We're having a careful look at it. It's not generally what you'd describe as our area of orientation, but we know from general experience that the Gulf of Aden, of course, is a very important transport route. If you don't go through the Gulf for European destinations then you've got the Panama Canal. So it's very important to Australian exporters. So, we're looking at whether it's possible for us to make a contribution.
Virginia Trioli: Minister Smith, good to see you. Thanks so much.
Stephen Smith: Thanks very much.
Joe O'Brien: Thank you.
[Ends]
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