Subject:
reconstruction of Iraq
E&OE...
PRIME MINISTER MALIKI:
In the name of God, the most precious, the most merciful we have received in our office today the Prime Minister of Australia. This country has stood with Iraq through the difficult time that Iraq is going through right now. Australia has an important role that it played during the years of the previous regime where it opened its doors to Iraqis who were feeling the dictatorship that Iraq has been suffering from. And Australia was determined to continue in supporting Iraq when it became part of the international effort to fight terrorism and the terrorism that wanted to spread and establish itself in our country. And with the progress of our security capabilities and while we are about to receive full security responsibilities, Australia remains committed to support Iraq in training and supervising and also on the economic side. My talks with Prime Minister Howard were based on these principals and were very effective and very positive talks. We touched on the development in the political process and we also touched on the progress achieved during the Baghdad conference and the efforts made to establish the stability and for bringing forward the political progress in Iraq. We feel that the world today needs this kind of relationship, of friendship, of cooperation to fight this illness, the terrorism and replace the principles that terrorism wants to spread with principles of friendship and cooperation. Thank you very much.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Thank you very much Prime Minister, it's a great pleasure for me to again be in Baghdad and I have greatly valued the discussions that I have had with you today. I have expressed two very clear things to the Prime Minister today. Firstly, the admiration of the Australian people for a country that on three occasions has voted in democratic elections in the face of most fearful acts of intimidation and terrorism, but to see millions of Iraqis vote for the first time in free democratic elections is a source of great inspiration to many people around the world and we Australians admire it. I've also told the Prime Minister that Australia will continue its presence in Iraq to assist bringing about a situation where the Iraqi people are reasonably able to provide for their own future security. I have greatly valued the assessment that the Prime Minister has given me of the current security and political situation in Iraq. We both agree that the future lies in the appropriate combination of improved security and political reconciliation and progress. We in Australia believe that denying the terrorists victory in Iraq is very important not only to Iraq but also to this region and also the worldwide resistance to terrorism. I bring the good wishes of the Australian people to the people of Iraq and I have on a personal basis, greatly valued the opportunity of meeting the Prime Minister for the first time and exchanging our views on the situation in his country. I wish him well; he has a difficult and challenging task, he has the friendship of Australia in discharging it.
JOURNALIST:
David Crowe from the Australian Financial Review. I have a question for both Prime Ministers. We have been hearing about the situation around Tallil where the Australian troops are based and there seem to have been significant improvements in the situation over the last year. And my question is that the Australian position has always been that we would leave when the job was done and in Tallil it seems as if a lot (inaudible) Iraqi forces on their own so my question to both Prime Ministers is, is the job in the south done to that extent and would it be time for those Australian troops to withdraw?
PRIME MINISTER MALIKI:
Actually the (inaudible) are still ongoing and we still have a desire for Australia to remain and to continue its support until we are completely confident that the operation, the planning, all the terrorist activities are ...cease to exist and to strengthen Iraq. And according to our estimate this will not take too long and we are close to defeating terrorism and to be free from its threats.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well I'll just, quickly, I agree with the assessment made that great progress is being achieved but there is still work to be done, and as you know I don't set speculative dates; there is nothing to be achieved by that. We have made progress but there is still work to be done and I agree with the Prime Minister.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Prime Minister, question from Iraqi TV, you have mentioned that you talked, you discussed with Mr Howard the progress that was achieved on the political front and specifically what happened during the Baghdad conference. Were there any specific things that you agreed upon to achieve even more progress on that front?
PRIME MINISTER MALIKI:
After agreeing, both of us on the facts that for progress to be achieved in Iraq we need to go in two parallel lines, the political line and the security line and on the political line we have agreed for Australia to continue its support to Iraq, Iraq has achieved a great step in holding the international conference and we have agreed to continue this progress and to make the necessary atmosphere to provide more political, international support for Iraq.
JOURNALIST:
My name is Dan Brown from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and I have a question for each Prime Minister. Nuri al-Maliki, could you tell us, the Australian battle group stationed in the south is providing support to Iraqi forces. We have been told those forces have demonstrated their capability. Will your forces need Australian support beyond, after the end of this year?
PRIME MINISTER MALIKI:
And as I have said the Australian troops that are stationed in our country are achieving great progress, they are behaving in a very good manner, not only on the military side, but also on the way they deal with ordinary Iraqis. I don't want to mention any time lines but definitely the progress that has been made serves towards speeding up the mission and the task and to achieve, get to the point where Iraq achieves self-capability and the capabilities of Iraqi troops are completed.
JOURNALIST:
And my question to Mr Howard was, Mr Howard how important is it that the security forces of the Maliki Government demonstrate that they are security forces for all Iraqis, not just the Shiites, or the Sunnis or from (inaudible) Shiite faction?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well I think it is very important that that is demonstrated and that is the view that's being communicated to me today by the Prime Minister.
JOURNALIST:
After the recent statement by Dick Cheney about withdrawing Australian troops from Iraq, are the Australian troops going to be withdrawn after achieving the success they have achieved (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I didn't know Mr Cheney had made a statement about the withdrawal of our troops? The American Vice President has no authority to make authority to make statements about the withdrawal or disposition of Australian forces.
JOURNALIST:
A question for Mr Maliki, have you discussed the situation of Iraqi refugees that are currently in Australia about their conditions and about assurances that they will be allowed to stay there? And a question for Mr Howard, whether the doors of Australia are still open to receive Iraqi refugees, even on a temporary basis?
PRIME MINISTER MALIKI:
We have actually talked about this issue, but not for a long time, because we believe that Australians living... Iraqis living in Australia are living in good conditions and they are being respected and (inaudible) services are provided to them. So we did touch on the issue but only, only briefly.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
The Iraqi community in Australia is well accepted, well integrated and much liked. Thank you.
[ends]