Subjects: East Timor; ABC Managing Director
E&OE...........
PRIME MINISTER:
Ladies and Gentlemen, the President and I have had a very broad discussion. We have both noted the very healthy state of the bilateral relationship between Australia and Portugal. We understandably spent some time talking about East Timor, we met in Dili only a few days ago and we shared the exhilaration of the independence celebrations. Both of us are committed to looking forward in relation to East Timor. We both recognised that East Timor will need a great deal of assistance and that particularly given Portugal';s historic relationship with this newly independent country and Australia';s more recent but nonetheless very important relationship but I know there are many aspects where we can work together. More specifically I';m delighted of course to welcome you as the President of his country to Australia. A bilateral visit of this nature is important in a very real sense to the further stimulation of that relationship and some 25,000 Australians of Portuguese heritage who play a very significant role within our community and are very valued citizens in our county. I do welcome you Mr President and I thank you most warmly for coming to our country.
PRESIDENT:
Good afternoon. I';m very happy that I';m the first Portuguese Head of State who has the opportunity at this [inaudible] occasion to be here on a State visit to Australia and as his Excellency the Prime Minister has said we went through all the aspects about co-operations in the future about East Timor and the development of bilateral relations not only on the Portuguese/Australia framework but also between the European Union and Australia. We know that that has developed, we want it to develop and I think I should stress in front of the press and television from Australia that, if you may allow me Mr Prime Minister, that we don';t see our roles in East Timor as a competitive role, we see them as a complementary role to a country which, as it has been noted, needs to be assisted in this process of conservation of state building and a nation consolidation. I think covers in general terms what we went through on the security matters, on economic, on social matters, etc.
PRIME MINISTER:
Any questions?
JOURNALIST:
I';d like to ask you about the Timor Gap deal, Mr Prime Minister. How is the situation with East Timor going?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Australia negotiated with the United Nations authority on behalf of East Timor, a deal which provided a 90 per cent – 10 per cent split, in relation to the joint zones in favour of East Timor. We have signed a treaty and we';ve also signed a memorandum of understanding in relation to the, what';s called a unionisation agreement. I think the understanding that we have reached with East Timor has been very fair. The revenues are important to that country and they';ll be important to the economic future and we have made efforts to produce an outcome that';s very fair and reasonable.
JOURNALIST:
There are some problems?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we believe that the arrangement that';s been entered into is fair and reasonable but as an independent sovereign nation, East Timor is naturally entitled to negotiate the position that she believes is appropriate for the future. But we think the arrangements that have been entered into today are very reasonable, we';ll obviously listen to any other views that East Timor they put to us but against the background of believing that the current arrangements and agreements are fair to both sides.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Prime Minister. Have you recognised that Australia made an historical error supporting the Indonesian politicians (inaudible) East Timor?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think Australia';s role in East Timor has been very positive. And I think that is the widely held view of the people of East Timor and the reception that I received when I was in Dili, indicated an appreciation by the people of East Timor and it also indicated that there';s a great desire on the part of people to move on. And the President and I both agreed that one of the very warming features of our visit was the fact that President Megawati was there and that she received such a generous welcome from the people of East Timor.
JOURNALIST:
Sir, but it wasn';t help in the past, what (inaudible) change?
PRIME MINISTER:
What do I think what? Sorry, I';m a little deaf so please forgive me.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible]
PRIME MINISETER:
Well I think the fact that we have produced an outcome to a democratic process, the international effort that was assembled in order to asses the East Timor achieve their independence was done with impressive speed, the intervention was widely supported. And given the enormous demands that are made for foreign aid, the size of the pledges for the future of East Timor was very gratifying. But having said all of that, we both agree that East Timor faces huge challenges. It';s a tiny country, fewer than one million people and its infrastructure is sparse. It';s people not well educated, there are no practising surgeons in East Timor, only 33 medical practitioners. There';s a lot to be done in that department so whilst we feel a sense of hope and exhilaration about the fact that independence has been achieved, there does appear to have been a coming together of people to achieve that, nobody should imagine that it';s going to be easy, it';s going to be very very hard and East Timor will need her friends and will need a lot of assistance and lot of understanding in the years ahead.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister on other matters, as the current chair of the Commonwealth, what are you doing at the moment in terms of India and Pakistan? Have you got a role to play at all?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think there are certainly tremendous concerns on the part of everybody about the current situation. Although some of the reports indicate slight easing in at last rhetorical tensions today. I had a lengthy discussion with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth when I was in Beijing two nights ago. The position of course is that Pakistan is at present suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth, so in a literal sense in answer to your question there is no Commonwealth Council or vehicle because of Pakistan';s non-participation in those because of her suspension. There is no immediate Commonwealth vehicle for influence to be bought to bear. But the Foreign Minister saw to it that the High Commissioners of the two countries were bought in and advised of our ongoing concern and there will be other diplomatic steps taken by Australia to the extent that we can acting along to put our view and encourage restraint. Obviously there is a role for all friends of both countries and Australia has long links and deep links with both countries of various characteristics. It will be appalling in every way if conflict were to break out. It is a source of great concern, not only to use but I know to the United States and to Britain of course, it has a very long and deep involvement in the Indian sub-continent.
Mr Henderson';s been patient so I';ll give him a call.
JOURNALIST:
Your Treasurer Peter Costello (inaudible) concerned about the length of time it';s taken for the ABC to appoint to the new managing director. Do you share those concerns and if you do have you conveyed your own views to the ABC and their chairman?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I';ve heard a news report about that, I haven';t actually looked at the transcript of the remarks of the Treasurer, I';ve been doing a few other things today. Let me simply say that the appointment of the Managing Director is a matter for the board.
JOURNALIST:
Do you agree that the ABC';s largely a left-wing culture as Mr Costello said today?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I have expressed views about the ABC in the past, I am not reluctant to express views about the ABC. I think I';ll simply refer you to those remarks. I think the best way I can express my views on that subject is to refer to what I';ve said in the past. Which includes incidentally an acknowledge of the importance of a strong, independent politically balanced ABC.
JOURNALIST:
(Asked in Portuguese)
PRESIDENT:
(Portuguese President – in Portuguese).
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I can assure you that there is no rivalry. I think we are moving on.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible) that';s not how it looks.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don';t know what it looks like, let me tell you what it is. And what it is good.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible) claims that (inaudible) from Yasser Arafat';s compound (inaudible) terrorist attacks on civilisation populations. Has the Portuguese Government made any effort to investigate these allegations? Are you not concerned that the taxpayers money is being used to fund terrorist attacks.
PRESIDENT:
Well anything I say on because I haven';t read the reports is as follows: my position for the last 30 years has been that an Israel state has to have secure frontiers and live in peace with its neighbours. A Palestinian state is the only solution for a stabilised region and the political process is the only substitute for what is happening. And this is my position, I can';t comment on intelligence findings which I am not aware of.
JOURNALIST:
But on the same topic, Portugal recently granted refugee status to one of the terrorists released in the Church of the Nativity stand-off. Does Portugal have any security concerns about (inaudible). Is he being kept under surveillance?
PRESIDENT:
Well that';s been happening while I';m here, we have a tradition of being an open society to refugees. This was an agreement between the European Union and what was happening there on the ground in the Bethlehem Square so I think it';s an undertaking by the European Unions which Portugal subscribes. And I do hope this will be understood as something that had to be done to ease a very dramatic situation.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Prime Minister. I understand a memorandum of understanding that was signed this week between Australia and East Timor was negotiated by the former UN administration of East Timor. I heard in East Timor that politicians there and the new government are willing to review the (inaudible) which will obviously alter or modify the statutes between Australia and East Timor mainly because the (inaudible) gas deposit would be inside their frontier line. I would like to know if Australia is moving to review East Timor';s frontiers and otherwise how would Australia face the opportunity of East Timorese going to the Hague with that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Our position is that the current arrangements that have been negotiated are fair and reasonable and satisfactory. East Timor has an opportunity as an independent country of course to put other arguments and we will respond to them but we will respond to them against the background of the belief that I';ve stated.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, on your trip to China how confident are you that Australia will win the gas contract?
PRIME MINISTER:
I';m not expressing confidence about that, I think it';s going to be very difficult, I don';t know what the outcome will be. It';s a very tough competitive international bidding process, it';s been given its best shot at a government level. I had the opportunity of putting our case to the Premier, Mr Zhu Rongji, the President, Jiang Zemin, and also the Chairman of the Congress Li Peng. I had ample opportunity to put our position as forcefully as the circumstances warranted. As to the what the outcome will be I don';t know, I would have to say it';s going to be very difficult for us.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible)… say to the Portuguese people in Australia…
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I want to say to them first of all thank you for the contribution that you make.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible)… if they want to come to Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we have a non-discriminatory immigration policy. We take a certain number of migrants each year based on certain criteria that gives a waiting in favour of skills. It is a completely non-discriminatory policy as fair as ethnicity, religion, nation of origin. If you meet the criteria then up to the limit of the programme each year we';ve increased it just recently. And in addition to that of course we maintain a refugee programme of 12,000 places a year. Now as to how people fit in it';s a question of the application of the criteria. We don';t do bilateral deals in relation with the individual countries, no matter what those countries are, to fill the migrant quota.
Thank you.
[ends]