Subjects: visit to Athens; resumption of negotiations on a social security agreement; crime treaty; tenders for the Olympic Games; terrorism; Elgin marbles; Cyprus
E&OE...........
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, ladies and gentleman, the President and I have just had a very valuable discussion. I said to him at the beginning of our discussion that the relationship between Australia and Greece was strong, and friendly, and open, and in so many ways a very spontaneous one. I don';t need to remind a gathering such as this of the extensive people to people networks and linkages between Australia and Greece. I took the opportunity of acknowledging the depth that Australia owes as a democratic nation to the democratic legacy of Greece. And also the other great legacy that Australia has embraced and that is the legacy of the Olympic Games. It';s been an opportunity for both of us to reaffirm the friendship between our two nations. I indicated that I hope to visit Greece myself in July of this year, to see him again and the Prime Minister of Greece. And during that visit, I thought it would be possible for us to perhaps announce the resumption of negotiations on a social security agreement and also a treaty relating to the treatment of certain matters concerning crime. And I do want to welcome, as I will at the formal luncheon, His Excellency. It';s the first visit to Australia by a Greek President since 1988. He';s already been very warmly received in Melbourne as all of us would expect and I know he will receive an equally warm and spontaneous welcome when he visits Sydney.
PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS:
This is a very pleasant visit that started from Melbourne. It';s been culminated in Canberra and will be completed in Sydney. And I';d like to thank the Prime Minister for the way that in which he has welcomed me personally and our whole delegation. I had the opportunity in not only to formally thank, but to really express the very warm feelings of the Greek people towards Australia and the Australian people. Greece has never forgotten and will never forget Australia';s contribution to our struggle for freedom in during World War II. The fact that in our country we unfortunately have a great number of Australian soldiers that lost their lives in their fight for our freedom is very moving for us. And I feel obliged to express the gratitude of the Greek people to Australia for this sacrifice. In modern times, Australia is one of our - of the areas which Greece feels has very friendly feelings because of the great numbers of Greeks who have settled in Australia since great many years. The committed Australian citizens, they are successful in their careers and their activities and they are of course for the rest of us Greeks, they are of course, pride. The discussions as you heard from the Prime Minister dealt with the need to sign this agreement for judiciary assistance, nothing will delay it. There was a small paragraph that was a problem, now I know that the Greek side have agreed to this paragraph and the Prime Minister';s visit to Athens next month will be the occasion where this agreement will be signed. There was also a problem for the possibility of Australian business to take part in tenders for the Olympic Games, some things were pending there, I am sure that even this problem will be resolved after the Prime Minister';s visit to Athens. I am certain that Greece is willing to facilitate as much as possible the participation of Australia to these standards. Over and above this, both sides have the will to further promote our trade relations. This is not a matter for government, especially for me who I don';t have such authority. It is a matter for the businessman of each side. Already important contacts have taken place among businessman in Melbourne, these will continue in Sydney I';m sure and we will expect positive results. The Prime Minister quite recently has imported a number of Australian ships, very technological, very advanced technologically, and these were the greatest part of your exports to our country. I have personal experience this is not very important of course, but I sailed in one of these ships lately. They are marvellous and thank you very much. Once more Prime Minister thank you very much for this warm welcome for your kind words to me, for Greece, which really is the cradle of democracy and the Olympic Games and let me assure you this is a very important visit for me. I wish you all the best personal happiness and prosperity to the people of Australia.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you very much Mr President. We have time just for a couple of questions before the lunch.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Prime Minister the relations between Greece and Australia are so excellent so I have no question please. One question I would like to tell you after the 11th of September what change to the relation between Australia and Asia countries? What is the feeling in your country?
PRIME MINISTER:
Australia and other countries….? Well I think the events of the 11th of September have had an effect on all of us. We have tried in what we have said and to and done with other countries to emphasise that terrorism is a common threat to democratic societies, that we should be careful not to brand particular religions or particular countries as being terrorists but rather to identify that terrorists exist and can exist within certain countries and within certain communities. We have a very close relationship of course with the Untied States but we also know that the fight against terrorism is not one that the United States can fight alone. She needs the assistance of countries such as Australia and we have Australian forces participating in Afghanistan alongside the United States. The fight against terrorism is one that must be conducted on many fronts and it must involve the commitment of all democratic nations and all freedom loving peoples and in that I';m sure the views of the Government Greece are identical to the views of the Government of Australia.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister could I ask was the subject of the Elgin Marbles raised in your discussions with the President and could you just outline your position on that issue again ahead of your trip to Greece…..?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the issue itself was not but let me say that our position is that, I have already realised with the British Prime Minister. I did it again, when he was in Coolum I said that there were many Australians who shared the view expressed by the Greek Government on this subject and I conveyed those views and those sentiments to him and he said that he understood those feelings. In the end of course this is a matter that has to be resolved between the Government of Greece and the Government of the United Kingdom, but I have certainly made it clear to the British Government that there is a strength of feeling on this issue, particularly from Australians of Greek descent.
PRESIDENT STEPHANOPOULOS:
Thank you very much for this position Prime Minister. Thank you.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister you foreshadowed a trip to Greece. Could you just outline what you intend to achieve from that trip apart from those items you have already mentioned – the social security treaties?, etcetera.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I';ll have something further to say about that later, but in more detail when the appropriate courtesies have been observed and I am able to provide more detail. But it will be the first bilateral visit that I have paid to Greece as Prime Minister, although as I indicated to the President, I first visited Greece in 1964. But I didn';t have a lot of influence on the bilateral relationship on that visit, or not that I';m aware of. But nonetheless I am looking forward to it. I think the nature of the association between our two countries is such that the visit itself will give me an opportunity to reinforce the importance. I think I will be able to make progress with the Prime Minister in relation to a resumption of negotiations on the social security agreement. I hope that we might be able to initial the treaty or sign the treaty in relation to criminal matters. And there are other economic issues that I hope that I will be able to explore. I will of course take the opportunity during that visit to pay my respects to the Australian war dead and observe an appropriate remembrance of the struggle between Australia and Greece in Crete in World War II. Thank you. I think this will be the last question because the President and I must go to lunch.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister Howard, can you describe the nature of discussions over Australian businesses getting access to Olympic tenders or Olympic-related work?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is a matter that I did raise with the President. Quite properly given our respective constitutional positions it is an issue that I will pursue further with the Greek Prime Minister but it is an issue that was raised, yes. And then this will be the last one now.
JOURNALIST:
President, did you see that international laws being… Prime Minister, rather. I was addressing my question to the Prime Minister and I';m asking whether you see any kind of selective implementation of international law in the case of Cyprus and the Cyprus issue.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the Cyprus issue is a very difficult one and the President and I discussed it at some length. We continue to encourage the parties to persevere with their negotiations. We want an outcome that can preserve the integrity of Cyprus. We want an outcome that is fair to both communities and we want an outcome that promotes greater harmony between Greece and Turkey. I know it is difficult. I don';t think it really helps for somebody in my position as the Prime Minister of a country that is very friendly towards Greece and also has a positive relationship with Turkey… I don';t think it really helps things for me to start making judgements. Australia is a good friend in this matter. Mr Jim Short who is the Foreign Minister';s envoy, is going to Greece later this month. And he is going to the region. He is passing through Athens. And he will be talking to the Greek authorities about it. And I don';t think it aids his mission or anything for me to be passing judgements on the selectivity of the application of international law. I just hope that the matter is resolved in a harmonious, positive way. Thank you.
[ends]