Interview with Alexandra Kirk, ABC Radio, AM program

Transcript, E&OE, proof only

Subjects: Libya

28 February 2011

TONY EASTLEY: Australia's Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, says the Libyan leader's time is up. Mr Rudd hasn't ruled out supporting international action to remove Qaddafi if he doesn't go voluntarily. In the meantime, he's urging the UN to impose a non-fly zone over Libya and consider humanitarian assistance.

Mr Rudd spoke to Alexandra Kirk from Zurich on his way to a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

KEVIN RUDD: Now the attention turns to the Human Rights Council in Geneva where a resolution is being considered, which we would support, concerning the responsibility to protect which is UN language for further entrenching the action concerning the protection of the civilian population within Libya itself.

REPORTER: The United Nations has decided to take a raft of actions against Colonel Qaddafi, his regime, his family. Do you think the UN needs to take further action?

KEVIN RUDD: We also argue for the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya. That has not yet occurred. We believe that is necessary also, given that Qaddafi's regime has already used its air force to strafe the civilian population.

REPORTER: Why do you think the UN has stopped short of the no-fly zone action?

KEVIN RUDD: Achieving agreement on what has been agreed so far has been difficult and it's been fractious. Of course in Australia we find that difficult to believe. Sometimes I find that difficult to believe.

REPORTER: How likely do you think it is that the UN will change its mind?

KEVIN RUDD: Difficult to predict at this stage but when we embarked on our campaign a week or so ago for a reference to the International Criminal Court, and more broadly the importance of the principle of responsibility to protect, it was not a consensus position then within the UN fraternity nor, certainly, within the Security Council.

That has now been achieved, not just through our diplomacy but the diplomacy of others as well. Now the next step, I believe, lies in this area of a no-fly zone and, furthermore, as already mandated under the Security Council resolution, the provision of humanitarian assistance through the international agencies such as the Red Cross to ensure that the people of Libya are being supplied with food and other provisions to the greatest extent that we can.

REPORTER: Should Colonel Qaddafi now be removed from power?

KEVIN RUDD: Our view is that Qaddafi's time is up. The reprehensible actions by his regime are of long standing but what we've now seen in recent days is this violence against his own people reach a new an unprecedented order of magnitude.

I've just come from Cairo. I've just met with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa. From the perspective of the Arab League we now see not just them united in their condemnation of his mass use of violence across the Arab world but similarly a position across the organisation of the Islamic Conference and across the African Union as well. He must go and the sooner he goes the better for us all.

REPORTER: If he doesn't go voluntarily, should he be forced by international action?

KEVIN RUDD: It is important that all options remain on the table for the United Nations Security Council. As I said, there's one further action which needs to be taken immediately, in our view, and that is the imposition of no-fly zones. Other actions, of course, remain within the remit of the UN Security Council and I believe that all those actions should remain on the table.

TONY EASTLEY: The Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, in Zurich speaking to Alexandra Kirk.

END

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