Subjects: September 11; Iraq
E&OE...........
WOOLEY:
Prime Minister, how is it that we don't know yet whether Osama is dead or alive, given the billions that have probably been spent on intelligence?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it's just the nature of the elusive life of terrorist leaders. He might be dead, I don't know. There's no clear evidence that he is. Certainly, his network in Afghanistan has been crippled. That's not to say that his network in other parts of the world, if he is still alive, isn't still a threat.
WOOLEY:
We can take it that he's not irreplaceable, though?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, no and that's the problem. When you're dealing with blind terrorism, which we are and we saw it on the 11th of September, there are always fanatics to take the place of the recently departed fanatic.
WOOLEY:
Let me take you back to that day. What was your fist knowledge of what was happening?
PRIME MINISTER:
My press secretary. I was in the Willard International Hotel next the White House, he banged on my door and he said put on CNN, a plane has hit the World Trade Centre. I guess, the first one hitting, nobody was quite sure whether it was an accident. And it was when the second one hit and then the Pentagon plane, we knew it was something much more horrific than a terrible accident.
WOOLEY:
You told us you felt a certain unease about the fact that you had survived being close to the epicentre of these matters and others hadn't.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, it was a human reaction. You think, well we know the circumstances of fate that one group of people could go and others are not. And I guess that is something that gives you and uneasy feeling because we were at the hotel next to the White House and there were some theories that the plane that went down in Philaldelphia was bound for the White House, you just don't know - but that's fate.
WOOLEY:
I wonder if because you were there and because you even expressed a little of that common phenomenon known as survivor guilt, if you haven't felt this rather more personally than you might have or the rest of us did seeing it remotely.
PRIME MINISTER:
Charles, that's always possible but I don't think I'm alone in saying that the world has changed.
WOOLEY:
I was wondering in terms of your reaction to what should be Australia's involvement now?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I don't think so. I mean, our involvement in the response in Afghanistan has very strong community support and…
WOOLEY:
I guess I'm thinking beyond that. I'm thinking to Iraq.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Iraq is something that has to be looked at according to its own circumstances.
WOOLEY:
Can we clarify linkage here.Can we clarify is there a proven link to your mind between what happened in New York and the Government of Iraq.
PRIME MINISTER:I don't think the evidence is necessarily available right at the moment that can conclusively prove that, but that in a sense is not the issue. The concern that people have about Iraq is that it has a capacity to deliver weapons of mass destruction. It close to the nuclear capacity and what some would argue is that a country like the United States, it might be the object of the delivery, or could be, or other countries close to the United States, has a right to try and do something about that. Now, this is what is being debated at the present time in the United States, I've said that I think it's more probable than not that the Americans will do something and if that happens, they will approach Australia - but that hasn't happened.
WOOLEY:
We're not going to be their only mate there though, are we?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we're talking hypothetically. They haven't made any decision and if tomorrow Iraq were to allow weapons inspectors in without let or hindrance and if anything were found, allow that to be completely destroyed or dismantled, that would transform the thing overnight, in my mind.
WOOLEY:
This is to your mind, it's a matter of last resort – an invasion, isn't it…?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think the military option in any situation should always be a last resort, but you can't run away from a difficult issue. But equally, I'm not somebody who wants to see this country involved in any further military conflicts if that can be avoided.
WOOLEY:
Meanwhile Prime Minister, can we at least breathe a little easier knowing that Australia is, geographically anyway, more remote from these matters?
PRIME MINISTER:
We are less vulnerable to a terrorist attack than the United States, or parts of Europe, or the Middle East, but we are not immune. Anybody who thinks that it can't happen in Australia is kidding themselves – it can. I don't enjoy saying that. I'm not trying to scare anybody. I'm just trying to deal with the reality of the situation.
WOOLEY:
Thank you, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
A pleasure.
[ends]