Transcript E&OE
1 July 2009
Interview on Sky TV, Kieran Gilbert
Subjects: Recent violence against Indian students in Australia; updates on Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
KIERAN GILBERT: I'm joined by the Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith. Good morning Mr Smith.
STEPHEN SMITH: Good morning.
KIERAN GILBERT: I want to ask you first of all about reports in today's Sydney Morning Herald that COAG, the Prime Minister and the Premiers tomorrow are going to agree on a new strategy for the treatment of foreign students, to improve the treatment of foreign students, to ease concerns off the back of the attacks on Indian students in Australia.
What do you know about it and what's the aim of it?
STEPHEN SMITH: Firstly, as you know the Government's been taking the attacks on Indian students very seriously. We've condemned them, we've been working closely with the state authorities, particularly Victoria and New South Wales and their police authorities to make sure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. And we also make it clear to people coming to Australia we are generally a safe society and we welcome people.
But we are very concerned. Julia Gillard, as Education Minister, has been working closely with her counterpart. She had a meeting with all her ministers in Tasmania last month. And, in COAG today and tomorrow the Prime Minister will join with the Premiers and the Chief Ministers to underline our nation's concern about the events and to make sure that Indian students feel safe and secure and the Indian people are confident about Australia as a destination, but also to look at whether there's more that we can do. But I'll leave that for the Prime Minister and the Premiers and the Chief Ministers to deal with and announce in the next 24 hours.
KIERAN GILBERT: Apparently there's a delegation already in India. They're going to be meeting senior ministers in Delhi. What's the make-up of that delegation and what is their aim?
STEPHEN SMITH: There's an education delegation, effectively, in India as we speak, just as in Australia at the moment there is a group of Indian journalists here. And the aim of that is essentially exchange of information and communication.
We don't want the only view of Australia to be some terrible and tragic incidents, which we have condemned.
We are, generally, a safe society. We welcome not just Indian students, but all students from other countries.
KIERAN GILBERT: Are you still satisfied that these weren't race-based attacks?
STEPHEN SMITH: As I've said consistently, I'd prefer to leave that to the authorities as they bring the culprits to justice. Some indications suggest that some may have been. Other indications suggest not. But I'd much prefer to leave that to the relevant authorities as they bring the culprits to justice.
But everything we are doing in terms of our communications with the Indian authorities and the Indian people in India or bringing people to Australia to observe themselves is aimed at making sure there's confidence in Australia as a safe destination because, generally of course, that's very true.
KIERAN GILBERT: Okay. On another issue, six years on from the invasion in Iraq, Americans - the American forces have handed control over in Iraqi cities to the domestic forces. It hasn't been a good start. Already an explosion in Kirkuk that's killed more than 30, wounded more than 100. Is there any hope that the domestic forces will be able to stabilise that country?
STEPHEN SMITH: We certainly hope so. I think a couple of things…
KIERAN GILBERT: But is there much hope?
STEPHEN SMITH: Firstly, if you look at where Iraq is now as compared with a couple of years ago, there's been very, very substantial improvement. That's the first point.
Secondly, I don't think it's any surprise that in the run-up to the return to barracks or bases of the Americans that there would be attempts at terrible incidents, which we've seen, and we of course condemn those.
But at some point in the cycle Iraq had to start taking responsibility for its own security and its own affairs and this is the agreement between Iraq and the United States.
Of course there's still going to be a very large presence of American troops in Iraq. And, under the terms of the agreement, if the Iraqi Government believes its necessary they can be used to help restore or enhance security arrangements.
But our attitude, of course, is we see now Iraq moving into the future. We had the Prime Minister Al-Maliki and my counterpart, Foreign Minister Zebari, here recently on a very successful trip. We've signed up, through the Deputy Prime Minister, six memorandums where we're working forward on agriculture and education and a range of other positive issues.
So we're now hopeful and confident that Iraq can take its rightful place as a nation where peace and security is restored ... where it can get on with providing services and a good quality of life to its people.
KIERAN GILBERT: Another troubled part of that region and the pro-Taliban militant group has withdrawn its support for a peace deal with the Pakistani Government. That part of the world continues to cause - must continue to cause you headaches, and I understand you've got some announcements to make in relation to the upcoming Afghani election.
STEPHEN SMITH: As you know we've got a troop commitment in Afghanistan; we announced an enhancement of that recently. So including for temporary purposes, for election supervision, we've got up to 1550 troops now in, or destined for, Afghanistan.
We've already made a substantial contribution on the civilian front for their election commission, their independent election commission - $8 million.
But today I'm announcing a million dollars for Asian country election observers. The Asia Foundation, which is an American-based NGO, is arranging with a range of Asian countries - Indian, Pakistan, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh - to have observers on the election. We're supporting that.
We're also looking at having a very small team of election monitors - technical monitors - for the election. And of course we have the special infantry, about 120 troops there, for security purposes.
KIERAN GILBERT: And on Pakistan as well, what's the announcement in relation to that?
STEPHEN SMITH: The Pakistan Government is now fighting back very strongly against the militants and the insurgents in the North-West Frontier Province and the federally administered tribal areas on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, what we now know is the hotbed of international terrorism.
The Pakistan Government's fightback, which we strongly support, has seen large numbers of displaced people, about 2.5 million people displaced. So I'm announcing today $5 million as a response to United Nations urgent request to assist those displaced people; the bulk of it for food through the World Food Programme. And that brings to over $20 million our humanitarian assistance to the displaced people in that area of Pakistan in recent times.
But it's very important that the international community stands shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan on these issues, just as on Afghanistan it's very important that the international community sees a transparent fairly conducted election in Afghanistan on 20 August.
KIERAN GILBERT: Okay. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, appreciate your time. Thank you.
STEPHEN SMITH: Thank you.
[Ends]
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