Interview with Jim Middleton, Newsline, Australia Network

Subjects: Heart surgery, ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting, asylum seekers, climate change

Transcript, E&OE, proof only

21 July 2011

Jim Middleton: Mr Rudd welcome to the program.

Mr Rudd: Thank you for having me on the program.

Jim Middleton: First up, get well soon. How soon can we expect to see you resuming the frenetic pace that we’ve come to expect from you as Foreign Minister?

Mr Rudd: Well here’s the warning Jim: my doctors say that once you’ve had a valve replacement, you’re then larger than life.

I’ve had this once before and that was the effect, back 20 years ago. So I think you’ll see me zipping around. How soon after surgery remains to be seen.

Cardiac surgeons say that the smart thing to do is to bank on a recovery period of about 8 weeks. And I will do my absolute best to adhere to doctor’s orders, though that has never been my habit in the past.

Jim Middleton: OK, to ASEAN. Much focus in the talks in Bali on the South China Sea. Just how much of an advance are the guidelines agreed by the Foreign Ministers at this meeting?

Mr Rudd: Well we’re talking about a region in which so many countries have very large national interests.

And that is a huge amount of global trade passes through these waters, as it does for Australia. So we all have an interest in how this is dealt with, including the ASEAN countries themselves and those that have territorial claims in the South China Sea, apart from China itself.

So, the discussions so far have focused on the so-called Declaration of Conduct, which was put together half a dozen or so years ago.

Secondly, what has been agreed to today is guidelines which come from that Declaration of Conduct in order to clear the way.

Thirdly, what really is the meat here, the development of a code of conduct for all countries in the adjoining area and in the region, particularly those with claims in the South China Sea, for the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes, for the non-use of force or the threat of force, and achieving all of this in accordance with international law, in particular, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. That’s where it’s up to now and that’s the challenge ahead.

Jim Middleton: Is this a real test of ASEAN’s aspirations to be the significant institution promoting peace and security in the Asia Pacific? Or is it a genuine movement on the part of the ASEAN Summit, say, does that underline that goal?

Mr Rudd: Well I think the ASEANs have cooperated very well together and of course we in Australia have been in close dialogue with each of them and collectively because we have big interests at stake in the South China Sea as well.

I think what they have done is sit down with our friends in Beijing and worked out a way through this immediate challenge, agreeing these guidelines, in order to clear the way for the next round, which is this detailed Code of Conduct for the peaceful resolution of outstanding matters in the South China Sea and the peaceful conduct of possible joint operations there as well.

Of course what we don’t know is how long this next stage will take. And it’s going to take goodwill from all parties to make sure that we avoid any escalation of incidents in the South China Sea. The key thing is to work our way through to a Code of Conduct which helps us preserve peace and stability in the region..

Because remember, that peace and stability all the economic growth we’ve seen across so much of East Asia in the last 20 or 30 years, all of which could be put at risk if we face the real prospect of conflict or even war in the region.

Jim Middleton: The issue of asylum seekers is on the agenda in Bali. Is the suggestion right that the agreement will now be signed within days? The swap of asylum seekers for refugees?

Mr Rudd: Well that of course is a question for the Immigration Minister Chris Bowen in terms of the current state of progress with his negotiations with the Government of Malaysia and also of course UNHCR, the High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva.

Our position has always been clear: any arrangements within our region for the proper processing and handling of asylum seekers must of course have, one, the support of a regional country, consistent with the regional framework agreement we put together in Bali back in March. And secondly, it must also have the support of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees. And it’s those things that I know the Immigration Minister is resolving. As for the timetable, I’ll leave that very much in his court, Jim, and I suggest you put your question there.

Jim Middleton: On the proposals to re-open the processing centre for asylum seekers on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, are you going to discuss that proposal in your talks in Bali – take the opportunity in your talks in Bali to discuss that with your PNG counterpart?

Mr Rudd: Well, I’m looking forward to spending time with my new PNG counterpart, the Foreign Minister when we are here together in Bali.

Of course we’ll take the opportunity to review the overall breadth of the Australia-PNG relationship, which is fundamental to Australia’s future interests. And of course part of that is how we deal with this challenge of asylum seekers as well.

There’s one challenge though in the midst of all that, Jim, and that is, in a time of political transition in Papua New Guinea, we need to be very sensitive to the emerging and new political realities following the recent illness of Sir Michael Somare. I’m very conscious of that.

Therefore on the core elements of your question, I will be handling any asylum seeker questions cautiously, judiciously, and I’ve got to say, patiently over time, given that we are in a period of political transition with our PNG friends.

Jim Middleton: Another issue, climate change. You and I understand the United States is, countries at the United Nations, could not even agree on a benign statement that climate change was a threat to international security.

Mr Rudd: Well I’m only just getting through the precise reports of what was contained in the Presidential Statement from the Security Council. And I have seen a summary of them but not the full report itself.

The bottom line is of course you’re going to have a range of countries that are going to try and separate out climate change threats to the sustainable evolution of the planet through to the impact on the economy and jobs and see that as somehow clinically separate from national security concerns..

We in Australia have a slightly different view. We view climate change as not just a threat to the environment. It’s a threat also to the economy and jobs. But also through the displacement of persons. For example through the expansion of desert areas or the rising of sea levels.

END

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