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STEPHEN SMITH: I’d like to give you an update on Haiti. Firstly, so far as Australians in Haiti are concerned, can I take the opportunity of personally expressing my condolences to the family of Mr Wooldridge, the dual British Australian citizen who yesterday, we confirmed, regrettably, was killed. He was working for the UN and had been residing in the United Kingdom.

We've accounted for 27 Australians who were in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. We have no evidence or information at this stage to suggest any other Australians were or are in the area.

So having expressed our condolences and regrets to the friends and families of Mr Wooldridge, we're of course relieved that we have no additional information so far as Australians are concerned.

You recall that last week I announced Australian assistance of $5 million for immediate emergency assistance, and $5 million for longer term reconstruction.

Given the extent of the tragedy, and the call by the United Nations for further assistance, I'm announcing today an additional $5 million for immediate emergency humanitarian assistance from Australia. This will bring to $10 million the contribution that Australia has made for emergency assistance. That $10 million will be funded through the World Food Programme, through the Red Cross, through Australian and international non-government organisations. Also, through the United Nations' coordination office, and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.

We reserve the right after consultation in due course with the United Nations, and also with CARICOM, and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, to make a further contribution so far as long-term reconstruction is concerned.

This is a substantial contribution from Australia. And it reflects the scale and the extent of the tragedy, but also Australia's greater engagement with the Caribbean, and CARICOM - the regional organisation. You might recall that in November last year we signed a memorandum of understanding with the CARICOM nations dealing with disaster management and emergency relief.

I've seen as you would have suggestions that the United Nations is contemplating, through the Security Council, of increasing the peacekeeping presence in Haiti. There is already a substantial peacekeeping presence - some 9000 military, and 2000 police officers. The Security Council, in the next 12 hours or so, will consider a recommendation from the Secretary General that this compliment be increased. Australia won't be providing any peacekeepers, either military or police officers. Currently, there are some 20 countries in the region and countries with a longstanding association with Haiti who provide a military contribution. And about 40 countries who provide a police contingent.

We are, however, in discussion with the United Nations as to whether there are Australians with particular expertise who may be required. That's technical expertise so far as logistics is concerned, or communications, or engineering - some of the acute difficulties at present.

But it's not proposed that Australia provide additional personnel, either military or police personnel. So an update there. I'm happy to respond to your questions on what is of course a terrible tragedy, which we've all seen unfold.

The nature and the extent of the tragedy, of course, has far exceeded the initial reports. And that is of course a further reason why Australia today makes an additional contribution.

I welcome very much the spirit of generosity that we've seen from Australians who have been contributing very handsomely, so far as appeals from Australian and international NGOs are concerned. I'm happy to respond to your questions.

QUESTION: Where do you [indistinct] tracking how quickly this money's been spent and delivered to people on the ground? Is there talk about some slowness in the aid getting through.

STEPHEN SMITH: Well there's always, in the initial stages of a response, difficulties with coordination. And we've seen those occur. But the reports today both from the United Nations, from the United States, from other countries like Brazil who have an important role, and from the Government of Haiti itself, is that the coordination is now much better.

We work very hard at trying to get the disaster management relief coordination better, but every particular circumstance brings its own difficulties. So in this case, for example, given the very significant presence of the United Nations, the terrible loss of life so far as United Nations personnel are concerned, we've got the United Nations and the Government of Haiti in overall authority.

The United States has been given operational charge of humanitarian assistance, and Brazil in charge of security. Brazil of course are heading up the United Nations peacekeeping presence in Haiti. Over the weekend I spoke to my Brazilian counterpart, Celso Amorim, and we spoke about the contribution that Australia was making, but also spoke about the difficulties of coordination.

So we've targeted our contribution to those life-saving requirements: to food, to water, to shelter, equipment, to sanitation, medicines, and the like. We think this is the most important and appropriate contribution that Australia could make. It's often in these cases more important that individual nations deliver that which is required, not all of the things that we can provide. So we're confident that we're making an appropriate contribution but also targeting those things which can be of most assistance at this point in time. We're confident that those supplies will be delivered in a timely way by the agencies concerned.

QUESTION: How can Australians best help the Haitian people?

STEPHEN SMITH: By continuing, I think, to respond generously to the calls by the Australian and international non-government organisations, the aid organisations, who are delivering on the ground the much needed life saving equipment; whether it's through medicines, whether it's through water, whether it's through food. Water and food and shelter are obviously key requirements at this point.

QUESTION: Why aren't we seeing the level of Australian generosity that we did after the 2004 tsunami?

STEPHEN SMITH: I think we are. Let’s bear in mind that Australia has not had historically a substantial engagement with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The current Government has moved to enhance our relationships because we see that as being in Australia's national interest. So when you look at the contribution the Australian people are making directly and the Australian Government is making on behalf of the Australian people, this is historically a substantially much larger contribution than we would previously have made. That reflects our enhanced engagement but also reflects the size and the extent of the human tragedy.

QUESTION: Minister has the international response been adequate in your opinion?

STEPHEN SMITH: Yes, I believe so, and it will continue to be. There are always issues and difficulties of coordination in the early stages and we work very hard to try and overcome those. But the reports overnight from the United Nations, United States, from Haiti, and other relevant countries like Brazil very clearly indicate that we're getting on top of the coordination difficulties.

QUESTION: Mr Smith, if a decision is made to send communications personnel or engineers, might they be Defence personnel?

STEPHEN SMITH: That's a possibility, but they wouldn't be part of any peacekeeping force. We're in discussions with the United Nations as to whether there are any technical experts who may be of assistance. I'll happily indicate in due course the nature and extent of that. That is one possibility but we're not proposing to respond by way of a peacekeeping contribution.

QUESTION: Just on the Oceanic Viking. Four countries now, I think, have agreed to take asylum seekers from that boat. What role did you or the government play in trying to get those countries to agree to resettle them?

STEPHEN SMITH: Well I'll leave the detail to my colleague, the Minister for Immigration, but Senator Evans has made clear that of course the Government was in conversation with other countries about coordination with the UNHCR for resettlement purposes. I spoke to a number of my foreign ministerial counterparts from countries who have traditionally either played a role in resettlement of refugees or have played a direct role in resettlement of refugees from Indonesia. I'll leave the details to Senator Evans in terms of where particular people have or are proposed to be resettled. But he's made it clear I think, has previously made it clear that discussions have occurred in conjunction with the UNHRC with resettlement countries.

QUESTION: Did you - did Australia offer anything or make an gestures to try and get those countries to do that?

STEPHEN SMITH: No, the conversations we had were conversations which were about resettlement, either because countries had previously participated in resettlement of refugees from Indonesia or because they were countries with a strong track record of resettlement.

QUESTION: The Obama Administration is considering trying Hambali in Washington. The father of one of the victims, Brian Deegon has raised concern that that opens avenues of defence that wouldn't be the case if he were tried in Indonesia where the Bali bombings occurred. Do you share his concerns about the trial?

STEPHEN SMITH: We obviously want to see Hambali brought to justice. I've previously made it clear that in the first instance the location of any trial and the manner of any trial is in the first instance a matter for the US prosecuting authorities and that remains the case.

QUESTION: Is there any update on the Qantas executive or Jetstar executives in Vietnam?

STEPHEN SMITH: On Friday of last week I spoke with the Vietnamese Ambassador in Perth. The Ambassador was in Perth as part of his regular consultations. I made the point to him that Australia had a keen interest in the Qantas or the Jetstar executives. The Ambassador undertook to relay those expressions of interest to the Vietnamese Government. I also relayed the substance of my conversation to Qantas. I understand Qantas executives remain in direct contact with Vietnamese authorities as they should. It's quite clear from my conversations that the focus of the Vietnamese authorities is an investigation where they want the two Qantas or Jetstar executives to assist them in their investigations.

But it's been made quite clear to me that the Qantas executives, or the Jetstar executives, are not the focus of the investigation and we've made it clear to the Vietnamese authorities that the sooner the investigation concludes and the sooner the Australians are able to return to Australia then the better we'll all be.

QUESTION: Is there any word on the rescheduling AUSMIN at this stage?

STEPHEN SMITH: No, just when I had the conversation with Secretary of State Clinton early on Thursday morning, we agreed we would reconvene at a mutually convenient time as soon as possible. But once the dust has settled on the Secretary of State's direct involvement in the Haiti disaster relief then officials will take it up. There's also of course the prospect that I'll have a conversation with the Secretary of State in London at the Afghanistan conference next week on the 28th.

All right. Thanks. Thanks very much. Cheers.

[ENDS]

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