E&OE...................................................................................................
PRIME MINISTER:
[Tape begins]...I hope and pray that they receive a fair and proper
trial. I'm disturbed that there will be no Australian representative
present. I'm constrained for obvious reasons about saying anymore
except to say to their families, who must be going through a very
difficult time, that the thoughts and understanding and concern of
millions of Australians are with them. It's very stressful. We
can't even begin to understand the strain that they're under.
And we all hope that they're treated fairly and decently and
if they are they should be allowed to come home to Australia because
they were humanitarian workers. They were trying to help and relieve
suffering on both sides of the debate and the argument and the war
in Yugoslavia.
JOURNALIST:
Are you hopeful that the trial will go fairly?
PRIME MINISTER:
I hope it goes fairly. I don't, for reasons I ask you to understand,
want to say any more than that.
[ends]