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STEPHEN SMITH: Later this morning, I'll leave Perth to travel to Botswana, South Africa and then to London for the Afghanistan conference.

My visit to Botswana and South Africa reflects the Australian Government's desire to substantially enhance its engagement with Africa. This will be my second visit to Africa, following on my visit to Addis Ababa for the African Union Foreign Minister's Summit in Ethiopia last year.

In Botswana I'll meet with my counterpart, Foreign Minister Skelemani. You may recall that Foreign Minister Skelemani visited Australia in June of last year.

There we'll discuss our bilateral relationship. Botswana has been one of Australia's strongest friends over the year, so far as African countries are concerned, and we'll look at what we can do to further enhance that relationship, including on the development assistance front, on fire management because Botswana has difficulties so far as bushfires are concerned, and we obviously have expertise there.

We'll also discuss Zimbabwe. Botswana is an active member of the SADC, the Southern African Development Community and Botswana's views on the current state-of-play in Zimbabwe will of course be relevant and of great assistance to Australia.

My visit to South Africa will be the first visit to South Africa by an Australian Foreign Minister in seven years. South Africa, of course, is Australia's most important economic partner in Africa, and our two-way trade in 2008-2009 was in the vicinity of $4 billion.

South Africa, of course, is Africa's largest economy and Australia has worked in the last two years very closely with South Africa on G20 issues; South Africa being the only African country who is a member of the G20, and that reflects the economic importance of South Africa, reflects the importance of the economic relationship between Australia and South Africa, and reflects the fact that we have worked closely together.

I'll be meeting my counterpart Foreign Minister Nkoana-Mashabane and also meeting with the Vice-President and former President Motlanthe.

South Africa, of course, hosts the World Cup, the soccer World Cup in June-July of this year, and I'll be receiving a briefing on preparations and arrangements for the Cup and also, of course, making the point that Australia is bidding for the World Cup for 2018 or 2022, as the case may be.

South Africa is currently a member of the SADC troika on Zimbabwe so, both in Botswana, and in South Africa, I'll be having discussions with my counterpart about Zimbabwe.

From South Africa, I'll travel to London and in London I'll join with very many of my Foreign Ministerial counterparts for the Afghanistan conference. The conference is hosted by United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown, by Afghan President Karzai and by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and this will be the first opportunity that the international community has had since the re-election of the Karzai Government to engage at such a level with Afghanistan.

Australia will underline its ongoing commitment to Afghanistan. As you know, we currently have about 1550 troops in Oruzgan Province. We'll also be making the point that we are looking at enhancing our civilian contribution and capacity-building assistance to Afghanistan, and that'll be one of the matters that I will discuss, not just with Foreign Secretary Miliband from the United Kingdom, but also with my other counterparts.

The meeting, or the conference, as I say, will be the first opportunity for the international community to have a discussion with the new Afghan Government since the recent election. It is appropriate to take stock, but also to make the point that the international community expects not just improvements to be made so far as transfer of security arrangements to Afghan authority is concerned, but also substantial improvements in governance, in corruption, in anti-narcotics activity and in the provision of services - health, education and the like - to the citizens of Afghanistan.

Before I take your questions, can I just make some brief remarks on Haiti?

Of course, the terrible, tragic human disaster continues. The search and rescue effort has now been declared as over. Fortunately, in the face of a terrible human tragedy, over 130 lives were saved; 130 people rescued from the rubble and Australia, yesterday, announced the provision of a small number of air-traffic controllers - defence air-traffic controllers - to assist in the management of air traffic in and around Haiti's main airport.

It's expected that the small number of air-traffic controllers will depart next week. At this stage it's expected to be about five. That is one example of the point I've made previously which is, whilst Australia is not proposing to join in any additional peacekeeping contribution, so far as Haiti is concerned, either through police or defence personnel, we continue to be in discussions with the United Nations about whether there are any technical experts who could be of assistance and yesterday's announcement, so far as air-traffic controllers, is an example of that.

I'm happy to respond to your questions on those or other matters.

QUESTION: What's the nature of the Australian Government's relationship like with Zimbabwe? [Indistinct] prior to the power-sharing, the Mugabe regime was openly hostile to Australia? What are your hopes now?

STEPHEN SMITH: We've made it clear since we came to office, that we would much prefer for President Mugabe to walk off the stage.

But given the Government of President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai, we've indicated that we want to give as much support as we can to Prime Minister Tsvangirai. In the last 12 months we've announced not just humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe, but also development assistance in those areas where we think Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his Ministers can help advance the interests of the Zimbabwe people. That's particularly been in the area of water, water-sanitation, anti-cholera activity, health and education.

We continue to impose sanctions against those members of the Mugabe regime. It is not proposed that that alter.

It is, of course, a difficult assignment for Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his Ministers. The arrangement between President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai is supervised by the Southern African Development Community, by SADC, through its political troika and that is why the conversations that I'll have with my counterparts both in Botswana and in South Africa, will be of great assistance to Australia in getting an up-to-date assessment of circumstances in Zimbabwe.

We continue to give Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his Ministers from the MDC as much support as we can.

QUESTION: Is this aid actually welcomed by Zimbabwe from Australia?

STEPHEN SMITH: We have consistently continued to provide humanitarian assistance, particularly food and food assistance for the Zimbabwe people. But last year, in the face of Mr Tsvangirai becoming Prime Minister, I indicated that we would also be looking at development assistance in those areas where Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his Ministers could assist the people of Zimbabwe, particularly in health, education, in the social areas. The contribution that we have given over the years has been very much appreciated by the Zimbabwe people but also very much appreciated by Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his Ministers.

QUESTION: [Indistinct] unfolding situation in Nigeria [indistinct]?

STEPHEN SMITH: It’s terrible human circumstances. We express our condolences to the people of Nigeria and the people who've lost their lives in what are clearly terrible clashes, and we hope that the Nigerian authorities can restore order as quickly as possible and given the difficulties that Nigeria is facing on that front, that may well be a matter that I discuss with my colleagues from Botswana and South Africa.

But this has been an area of Nigeria where there have been difficulties in the past. Where clashes from different groups have occurred. We regret the violence very much. We express our condolences for the terrible loss of life and we hope that the Nigerian authorities can restore order as quickly as possible.

QUESTION: [Indistinct]

STEPHEN SMITH: Haiti of course has had a difficult recent history so far as peace and security is concerned, and that's why before the earthquake we saw the presence of a peacekeeping operation, sponsored by the United Nations, which included about 10,000 peacekeepers, both military and police officers. And in the face of the crises in the last week or so, the United Nations Security Council, by unanimous resolution, enhanced that peacekeeping complement by another 2000.

So, Haiti has always had its peace and security difficulties, and clearly, in the desperation of people following the earthquake we've seen regrettable scenes of people scurrying for food and for assistance. And that is always one of the regrettable instances that we often see in the face of such severe and tragic human circumstances.

The reports that we see are that, whilst very many of those instances have been highlighted, they don't necessarily reflect the state-of-play so far as Haiti is now in. And we welcome the fact that coordination and cooperation between the United Nations, the United States and the Government of Haiti, who in their various levels have responsibility for coordination of the assistance to Haiti are now moving quickly and have moved quickly in the last few days to seek to bring those terrible instances under control.

We've now moved formally past, at the declaration of the Haiti Government, the search and rescue effort. It's now a matter of continuing to provide emergency assistance to people who have been displaced, of which there are thousands, and then to start upon the long-term reconstruction effort, which will be a very difficult one.

QUESTION: [Indistinct]

STEPHEN SMITH: We've made it clear that our objective is to stop Afghanistan being a base for international terrorists. That we want the Afghan government, and the Afghan authorities, and the Afghan Army and the Afghan National Police to be in a position to manage these security matters themselves.

So, one of the topics of conversation will be the transfer of the security arrangements to the Afghan authorities - that's not something that can occur overnight. But for that very reason, when Australia in April of this year announced an increase of its military contribution, the focus of that increased contribution was on the training of the Afghan Army in Oruzgan Province. We want to see what additional things we can do so far as a capacity building civilian administration is concerned in Oruzgan Province.

It's also become clear over the last couple of years that Afghanistan will not be won by military action alone. It will require a political reconciliation amongst the political forces in Afghanistan, so questions of political reconciliation, reintegration will also be to the fore. As will questions of seeking to ensure that peace and security issues in Afghanistan are shared, so far as responsibilities are concerned, by Afghanistan and its neighbours. It's very important that peace and security in Afghanistan is affected, and that's done in conjunction with Afghans neighbours in the region.

So, I think three areas will fall for consideration, the obvious security areas, what more can be done on the non-military front, what can be done as far as political reconciliation and reintegration is concerned, and how we can better ensure that the region or Afghanistan's neighbours are fully involved in securing peace in Afghanistan.

QUESTION: [Indistinct]

STEPHEN SMITH: There are, I think, three separate aspects. Firstly, late on Friday the United Kingdom increased its domestic terrorist threat assessment to severe from substantial, so to the fourth highest level. The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, made it clear that was not based on any specific information or intelligence but just a regular assessment of the threat level. So, the United Kingdom has increased from substantial to severe, their domestic threat assessment of a terrorist attack.

Australia's domestic threat assessment of a terrorist attack is at medium, it has been at medium for some time, and the Attorney-General has made clear that it's not proposed that be increased or altered in the near future.

The third area is, of course, Australia's travel advisory. Our travel advice so far as the United Kingdom is concerned is to exercise caution, but also to be aware of local developments, so far as terrorist threats are concerned because as we all know, regrettably, there have been terrible terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom which have seen Australian's lose their lives.

So, our travel advice was updated on the weekend to take into account the fact the United Kingdom had increased its domestic terrorist threat. But the overall level of Australia's travel advice so far as the United Kingdom is concerned hasn't altered, it remains as exercise caution and be aware of local developments as far as threat assessments, so far as terrorists are concerned.

QUESTION: [Indistinct]

STEPHEN SMITH: Our message to our neighbours is, and has been, crystal clear. We're all facing a very difficult problem of displaced people and large numbers of people moving throughout the globe.

Our region has seen substantial people movement which has had adverse impacts on Australia but also on other countries in our region: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia. We work very closely together in the Bali Process, which is our region's regional institution which deals with these matters.

But, as the Minister for Immigration and I have made clear, given the state of peace and security in Afghanistan and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, and the difficulties which Sri Lanka has seen over recent times, we continue to expect that there will be numbers of people moving throughout our region and the prospects and the risks of ongoing boat arrivals, or boat interceptions, is there. We've made that clear.

We need to be vigilant, which we are. We need to be working closely with our neighbours: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and others, which we are. But the substantial push factors which we see cause large numbers of people to move throughout our region, as very many people are moving throughout the globe.

Europe has comparable, if not greater, problems of people movements as we have seen. So, this is a shared difficulty for our region, but it's also a shared difficulty for the world.

QUESTION: [Indistinct]

STEPHEN SMITH: Sri Lanka has emerged recently from a very bitter civil war and is seeking to deal, with the assistance of the international community, with the aftermath of that.

They're currently going through an election process. Australia very much hopes that that election will be free and fair, and we very much hope that it will peaceful and without violent incidences. And we very much hope that Sri Lanka emerges from a bitter civil war to an election which sees an election of a President and an election a new Parliament, and we very much hope that Sri Lanka deals with its security issues.

We've made the point consistently that the Sri Lankan Government having won the war, it now needs to win the peace by presenting all people from Sri Lanka with a role in the political outcome so far as Sri Lanka is concerned, and a role in the democratic processes.

But Sri Lanka will continue to have a difficult peace and security environment for the foreseeable future. Afghanistan will have a very difficult security environment and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area likewise. And these are all push factors which see people coming not just in Australia's direction but in the direction of our region.

QUESTION: How does Australia's envoy [indistinct]?

STEPHEN SMITH: He does that on a regular basis. It's proposed that Ambassador Woolcott, our Ambassador for People Smuggling, travel to Indonesia in the near future. Last time I checked the precise times had not been finalised but if it's not the coming week, it'll be the week after. But he speaks regularly to officials in Indonesia and elsewhere in our region; those countries who are member of the Bali Process, and he makes regular visits to other countries in our region. He's due to go to Indonesia in the next week or so.

QUESTION: [Indistinct]

STEPHEN SMITH: My understanding is that Ambassador Woolcott has not yet travelled to Indonesia. He's in regular discussion with Indonesian officials. I would expect from time to time Ambassador Woolcott has discussed the Merak boat.

We've made it clear that - publicly, as I have - that we would want the people on the boat in Merak to voluntarily embark from the boat to enable processing to occur. That boat was intercepted by Indonesian authorities in Indonesian waters, so it is a matter for Indonesian authorities, a responsibility for the Indonesian authorities.

But we would very much hope that the people onboard the boat come off the boat to enable their United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees assessments to start so that the resettlement processes through Indonesia can also commence.

QUESTION: Will Australia be helping resettle them?

STEPHEN SMITH: Well, we have been resettlement partner so far as Indonesia is concerned for a substantial period of a time. We're one of a number of countries in our region, and generally, who perform that role, but the most important starting point for the people on the Merak boat is to come off the boat so that the usual processes can commence.

[END]

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