Transcript E&OE
23 July, 2009
Press conference - Phuket
Subjects: ASEAN Regional Forum, Myanmar, terrorism, Stern Hu, Nigel Brennan.
Minister: This morning we've been meeting as the ASEAN Regional Forum, a forum of 27 participants: 26 countries and the European Union. And we've been dealing with some of the key security issues so far as our region is concerned: Myanmar, Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan were subject matters that came up.
The forum started with a minute's silence to the victims of the bombings in Jakarta, and can I say how much Australia greatly appreciated that expression of sympathy and support from the Forum colleagues. Terrorism was also the subject of conversation and I repeated to the Forum remarks I'd made publicly on that matter.
The Forum of course is the region's premier security discussion and action forum. On Myanmar, I made the point, as I had privately to the Foreign Minister from Myanmar, that it was essential that Aung San Suu Kyi was released immediately, that there was a full and complete engagement in the political process by her and other political prisoners who ought also to be released, and that Burma, or Myanmar, needed to move to democracy.
On Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Pakistan Foreign Minister made a contribution. Our contribution was generally in response to the dangers of extremism and terrorism and the need to confront that both in Afghanistan, but also in Indonesia. And I complimented Indonesia on its longstanding and very good record in this respect and Australia's desire to continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Indonesia.
This afternoon, I'll be having with the United States and Japan our Trilateral Strategic Dialogue. This is the fourth such Trilateral Strategic Dialogue at ministerial level, the first with Secretary of State Clinton and with Minister Nakasone, and the second one I have attended at ministerial level.
Can I say generally we very much welcome the greater engagement by the United States in our region, in the Asia Pacific, in the ASEAN-related forums. This is reflected by the Secretary's attendance at the meetings today and also dinner last night and the holding of the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue in the margins of the forum. We also welcome the fact that the United States has entered into the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.
Can I just make a couple of other general points. I've had a range of bilateral meetings. In the course of those meetings with my colleagues from Laos and Thailand, I have raised the question of the Lao Hmong and the need for the Lao Hmong to be repatriated, and that is consistent with the representations that Australia has made on that issue for some period of time.
Finally, this afternoon I will be signing with my counterpart from Thailand, Foreign Minister Kasit, the Australia-ASEAN Development Cooperation Program Agreement Phase II, a $57 million program over eight years to continue the direct relationship that Australia has in the development assistance area, insofar as ASEAN is concerned.
Journalist: Minister, given Hillary Clinton is making quite a splash here being very bold about Burma, North Korea, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation really does cement America's role in security in this region. How does that impact the Asia Pacific community? What I'm hearing on the sidelines is that it might as well be dead in the water.
Minister: That's certainly not what my colleagues said yesterday at the East Asia Summit nor at the Australia-ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference. The Asia Pacific community initiative simply asks this question: what sort of regional architecture do we need to have in the year 2020 as economic, political and strategic influence moves to our part of the world? The rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the ASEAN economies combined. If you look at the format in which we are meeting today, and yesterday, the ASEAN Regional Forum: 27 participants, 26 countries and the European Union; the East Asia Summit yesterday: 16 countries. When ASEAN started it was half a dozen countries. Australia became the first dialogue partner to ASEAN in 1974. So ASEAN and the institutions surrounding ASEAN have grown over time. And it may well be that the existing institutions, whether it's the ASEAN Regional Forum, whether it's the East Asia Summit, whether indeed it's APEC, these may well change and adapt as well.
Journalist: Did you raise the issue of the Rio arrests with the China Vice Foreign Minister?
Minister: I had a conversation with Foreign Minister Yang, my counterpart. We spoke about a number of matters but I'm happy to indicate to you that, in the part of the conversation which related to Mr Hu, I repeated the representations that I and our officials had made previously, which was that we wanted the matter to be dealt with expeditiously. We understood that this was a matter now being dealt with in accordance with Chinese law and there was an investigation underway, but it would be in everyone's interest, not just Mr Hu's, but in everyone's interest for the matter to be dealt with expeditiously.
I, of course, spoke about a number of other things to Foreign Minister Yang but I wouldn't be proposing to detail that conversation just as I don't detail other conversations I have with my colleagues.
Journalist: How did he respond to that?
Minister: He made the point that, so far as China is concerned, this is an individual matter. They are conducting an investigation. It goes to matters of corruption and bribery. It also goes to state secrets as defined under Chinese law. But the Chinese authorities, including Foreign Minister Yang, are dealing with this matter as an individual case and both of us have been at pains to make the point that we don't see this going to the wider relationship, which we regard as very good on the economic front and also reflected by the two strategic dialogues that Foreign Minister Yang and I have held, one recently in Beijing and one last year in Australia.
Journalist: Did he suggest that they're getting close to laying charges?
Minister: I pressed the point that we believed it was important that this matter be conducted expeditiously. The Foreign Minister made the point that an investigation was underway and that investigation had to be let to come to its conclusion. I've made the point before, this is an issue which is sensitive and difficult and complex, this is not an issue which is going to be resolved by one phone call or by one meeting between ministers and ministers. In the meantime, regular contact will continue between our officials in Canberra and in Beijing.
Journalist: The family of Nigel Brennan, the Australian photographer taken in Somalia last year, has confronted Prime Minister Rudd today in Bundaberg. What's being done to try and secure his release?
Minister: Firstly, I feel very much for the family. Nigel has been kidnapped now for nearly a year. He was kidnapped in Somalia which is essentially a stateless state, where our travel advice is a recommendation of not to travel. From the moment of his kidnapping we have been working across the government agency level with the family and doing everything we can to secure his release. We have advised the family that the less publicity that this matter gets, the better.
But the family has chosen to make public remarks today. We understand that. We know they are under a lot of pressure. I've spoken to the family previously by telephone and met with them in person and your heart goes out to any family whose son has been kidnapped. But I'm not proposing to go into any of the details of the arrangements we've put in place, what we've been trying to do and how we've been trying to do it. They are essentially operational matters and our own view of that is that any discussion of that firstly maximises the chance of those efforts not being successful, but also, in our view, puts Nigel's life at risk. I'm not proposing to entertain a conversation about the detail but we have, in our view, left no stone unturned in terms of trying to rescue him from his kidnappers. A vast amount of Commonwealth Government resources at a range of agency levels has gone into that ambition and that exercise both onshore and offshore.
Journalist: Can I get your reaction to what has been going on in Fiji this week with Methodists being arrested. Given it is such a religious country, are you concerned that perhaps it is going to hit a tipping point?
Minister: Well, we absolutely condemn what's occurred, the arrest of senior members of the Methodist church, of senior member of the clergy. But it does show a consistent course of conduct so far as Commodore Bainimarama and the interim military government is concerned. In recent times, we have seen the tearing up of the Constitution, the abrogation of that, we've seen censorship of the media, and we've seen intimidation. So, this is just another regrettable example of the regime further isolating itself from the international community and further stepping back from democracy and civil and human rights.
Journalist: Abu Bakar Bashir in an interview today has he applauded the Indonesian terror attacks and said Australians should brace for more. What's your response to that?
Minister: My response to that today is the same as it's been in the past, which is I'm not proposing to dignify his remarks with a response.
Journalist: In terms of Myanmar, Hillary Clinton yesterday suggested that if Aung San Suu Kyi was released that might mean some economic benefits for the country. During these discussions, you know, it's been a long time. Do you have any reaction to that?
Minister: One point that has been made in the course of the conversations today was that the international community stands ready, willing and able to assist Myanmar. That was reflected by the international community's attitude to the humanitarian effort after cyclone Nargis. But there's a lot more that could be done in Myanmar with the cooperation of the regime and if the regime was to move towards democracy. There are very terrible circumstances so far as quality of life, whether it is education services or health services. So, the international community stands ready, willing and able to assist but it needs to see Myanmar moves towards democracy, and that includes the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners and a full and complete engagement in the political exercise and a full and complete and open election process and we don't see any of that.
Journalist: Ms Clinton has been very strong though against Burma and, of course, North Korea. That's something that is anathema to ASEAN. Now that the Americans have signed on to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, will it put America at odds with ASEAN and even the Australian position, which has been not quite so bold?
Minister: I don't quite agree with either of those analyses. If you look at the comments that came from ASEAN, both formally from the Secretariat and the Chair, and from individual members of ASEAN, when Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested, they were across the board condemnatory, as was Australia's. The discussion was very much unanimous that Myanmar had to make progress and it was a good conversation and I don't think that the Foreign Minister from Myanmar was left in any doubt as to the view of all of his colleagues.
So far as the DPRK is concerned, I may have not referred to that in my opening remarks, but that was one of the security issues that we had a very good conversation about and, again, I don't think the Ambassador from the DPRK was left in any doubt about the view of the Forum, which was essentially that the Six Party Talks processes should be resumed and that the DPRK should enter into that process; there was full support for the unanimous United Nations Security Council Resolutions variously 1718 and 1874 that the DPRK action and conduct was not just provocative but a threat to international security, a threat to security in North Asia and our region. But everyone wanted the DPRK to engage in dialogue through the Six Party Talks. On both those fronts, I frankly think that's an old fashioned or an outdated view of ASEAN and of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
Journalist: Did you see on either of those issues any moves forward? It sounds like there's a lot of talk, a lot of condemnation, but no real action.
Minister: I think it's important that, whether it's a unanimous international community response so far as the DPRK is concerned, reflected by the unanimous Security Council Resolution or whether it's the overwhelming or unanimous view of the international community so far as Aung San Suu Kyi is concerned and I haven't seen anyone out there saying that she shouldn't be released and be released immediately. This international community pressure adds weight and does put pressure on both those countries and what we now want to see on both fronts is a response to that both in terms of North Korea engaging in the Six Party Talks and the Myanmar authorities allowing Aung San Suu Kyi to take part fully in an election process.
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