Transcript: E&OE
2 September 2009
Interview: ABC Radio Current Affairs, with Kerry Ritchie
Topics: Fiji, Hambali, ANL Australia.
QUESTION: What is your reaction to hearing the news that they're out of the Commonwealth. I mean, that was expected, wasn't it?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well full suspension from the Commonwealth was inevitable. It's not a result that Australia rejoices in, but it is the inevitable result of the failure of Commodore Bainimarama and the interim government to return Fiji for democracy. And essentially, it puts the Commonwealth on the same basis that the Pacific Islands Forum put itself on in May of this year. This is effectively a full suspension from the Commonwealth following on a full suspension from the Forum. But we of course continue to urge Fiji to return to democracy.
QUESTION: They are a real problem, though, aren't they, for the Pacific and beyond, the military rulers of Fiji. This is a serious problem, isn't it?
STEPHEN SMITH: It is a very serious problem. But it's now a problem which effectively the international community, through the Pacific Islands Forum, the Commonwealth, the European Union, and the United Nations itself, all now have a unanimous view about. We continue to be very concerned about a range of activities that's occurring in Fiji: media censorship; the harassment recently of Methodist Church leaders; worry about human rights concerns; and worry about potential political intimidation of opponents.
So all of these things are very grave concerns, and we hope that the continued international pressure, and the unanimity which we've now seen from the international community has the effect, in due course, of returning Fiji to democracy.
In the meantime, of course, we continue to hope that at some stage in the future we can see a credible dialogue process which will see the interim administration bring Fiji back to democracy.
QUESTION: Realistically, though, do you think that Frank Bainimarama is going to care?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well certainly I've said on a number of occasions this is going to be a long-term or a long-haul problem for Fiji, for the Pacific, and for the international community. Both the Pacific Islands Forum and the Commonwealth gave the interim government every chance to return to democracy. In the case of the Commonwealth, for example, whilst four countries have been suspended from the Commonwealth, Fiji is only the second country, following Nigeria, to be fully suspended.
It's simply not acceptable for Commodore Bainimarama to say that he'll return Fiji to democracy in 2014 some seven years after the December 2006 coup.
QUESTION: Should Australians be going to Fiji for a holiday?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well that's a matter for Australians. We have of course travel sanctions on members of the regime and senior members of the military. But we've never wanted to do things which will have an adverse impact on Fiji's economy. That's why for example we have always resisted any suggestion of trade bans.
It's why at the Pacific Islands Forum recently in Cairns that the Leaders unanimously agreed that whilst it was inappropriate for Fiji to be involved in the so-called PACER Plus discussions, that their officials needed to be briefed so that at that point in the cycle where Fiji returned to democracy, they could fully take up some of the economic advantages that we believe will flow from PACER Plus, if that is agreed, throughout the Pacific.
So we've never wanted to do things which hurt the people of Fiji. And the great regret in all of this is Fiji should be a premier nation in the Pacific. It should be a premier economy. And one of the very serious concerns we have is that since the interim government came to power through the coup in December 2006, we've seen a serious and substantial decline of Fiji's economic and social circumstances, and that's been exacerbated by the global international downturn.
So we worry very much about Fiji's economy, which is why we have never and aren't proposing to do things which would adversely impact on the people of Fiji themselves.
QUESTION: A last one on Fiji. Recently, there was a report that came out about how bad domestic violence is through the Pacific. Looked at PNG in particular. Do you think though while we've been talking so much about Fiji, that other issues of possible equal or more importance are being ignored?
STEPHEN SMITH: No, I don't think that's the case. We have made the Pacific one of our priorities. We've been very pleased with the progress that we've been making in terms of our Pacific Partnerships for Development. And certainly, if you look at the mood of the Pacific nations at the Cairns Forum, it was one of optimism and of wanting to work closely together. And also there was a very strong view at that Forum that the Forum should not be dominated by Commodore Bainimarama's presence or absence. So there's a lot of good work that is being done in the Pacific, including through our development assistance program.
And one of the very good things to come out of the Cairns forum was in the post-Forum Dialogue, to start working on development assistance, effectiveness, and better coordination, and the rights of women. The full participation of women in the Pacific in their economies and in their democracies has always been a part and an aspect of Australia's development assistance program.
QUESTION: Two more questions. Just moving on. If I could ask you about Hambali and a report out of the US that there may not be enough evidence to prosecute him.
What do you think of that?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well firstly that's obviously a matter for the relevant prosecuting authorities. Australia's strong view, of course, is that Hambali is a terrorist who ought to be brought to justice, but on what particular charges and when that occurs is in the first instance, obviously, a matter for the prosecuting authorities. We have obviously been cooperating with the United States on those matters.
But in the first instance, it's a matter for the prosecuting authorities.
But we regard him as a terrorist. And we'd like to see him brought to justice.
QUESTION: Can I just ask you about the ship that was recently found - the ANL ship which had the weapons on board. Is there any way of sanctions, following sanctions, or any kind of punishment for that?
STEPHEN SMITH: Firstly we have implemented, fully, the United Nations Security Council resolutions in this respect, both the original resolution and the most recent one, 1874.
That was fully implemented by Australia in July of this year. And DFAT are now conducting an investigation, and on my advice, with the cooperation of ANL, to determine whether there have been any breaches of Australian law. If the investigation points in that direction, then that'll be referred to the Australian Federal Police.
In the meantime, Australia has reported to the United Nations about the implementation in domestic law of the most recent sanctions under which the goods on the ship were obtained.
But whether anything further flows will be a matter for ongoing investigation. But on my advice, ANL is cooperating fully with the Department of Foreign Affairs on that matter.
QUESTION: Thank you so much Mr Smith.
STEPHEN SMITH: Okay.
[Ends]
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