GRIMSHAW:
Prime Minister, good evening and thank you for your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
Tracy.
GRIMSHAW:
President Bush has made it quite clear today that so far as the United States is concerned, the clock is ticking down to war with Iraq. Is that your position?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the important thing out of the speech today is that the Americans have asked for a special meeting of the Security Council on the 5th of February and that's the right thing to have done because this matter should now be the responsibility of the Security Council. If we believe in the United Nations process, we should use it, and that is what the Americans are doing. There will be some new information presented to the Security Council and if there is new information and new intelligence material that can be declassified, then it's a good idea that it be presented. But our very strong view is that the United Nations Security Council should now match the rhetoric of its resolution with action because if it doesn't, then its credibility is going to be crippled. And I can just ask the rhetorical question - what hope have we got of controlling North Korea, which is in our region, if the Security Council walks away from its responsibilities to deal with Iraq?
GRIMSHAW:
The President says that if the Security Council does not enforce its resolution, he will lead a coalition, of which Australia is to be a part presumably. What is your timetable on that? How long will you give the UN Security Council to act?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well our position, just let me make it clear, in relation to there not being a clear, explicit UN mandate for action, that is something that we haven't made any advance decision on. It's too early to say exactly what Australia would do in those circumstances because there could be a range of outcomes from the Security Council. You may not get a black or white outcome. You may get a shade of grey where a judgement has got to be made. You may, for example, get an outcome from the Security Council where the Security Council, while not approving, acquiesces in some kind of military action. That was the case in relation to Kosovo. So what we must do, all of us, is to try very hard to get the matter dealt with through the Security Council, and the Blix report has made it very clear that Iraq is thumbing its nose at the Security Council, and I think the Security Council has to address that contempt and has to look to the terms of the resolution it passed late last year.
GRIMSHAW:
Prime Minister, if America decides to go with or without UN support, do we go?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, there's no automaticity about that. I've made that clear all along. But what is clear also is that the deployment of particularly American forces in the Persian Gulf has led, in the words of the Secretary General of the United Nations, has led to the weapons inspectors being in Iraq. He said if it hadn't been for that, he didn't think the inspectors would even be in Iraq.
GRIMSHAW:
Because the opinion polls I know are not lost on you, Australians are not unconvinced about this war with Iraq. At this stage they are heavily opposed. How heavily does that weigh on you?
PRIME MINISTER:
Tracy, I am a person who greatly respects the opinion of the Australian people. I never treat the Australian people indifferently. This is a very difficult issue. The issue weighs more heavily on me than the opinion polls because you're dealing here with the contemporary threat to the world, and that is biological, chemical and nuclear weapons falling into the hands of countries like Iraq and spreading to other countries of an equally rogue status, and the ultimate nightmare that they might at some stage get into the hands of terrorists. So I listen to people, but in the end I'm charged with the responsibility of doing what I believe in my heart is in the best interests of this country and I think it is in our best interest...
GRIMSHAW:
Whether or not people support it?
PRIME MINISTER:
It is in my view in the best interests of this country to be part of worldwide efforts to stop the spread of these weapons because if we don't, we could end up paying an infinitely more horrible price than people are concerned might be paid if there is military action taken against Iraq.
GRIMSHAW:
Alright, let us turn finally and briefly to the World Cup. Cricketers are obviously worried now about going to Zimbabwe. Do you believe that their safety can be guaranteed if they go to Zimbabwe, or do you see this as more of a moral or political decision?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the latest Foreign Affairs travel advice is that it's reasonably okay to go to Zimbabwe. I mean it's still a bit equivocal but it's basically okay and I can't, you know put my hand on my heart and say you mustn't go there for safety reasons. That would be dishonest, although it is not the safest place in the world. I think it would be a good thing if the International Cricket Council listened to the views of Australia and New Zealand and England and cancels that part of the World Cup in Zimbabwe. For Australia's part, we are prepared to contribute to any cost that would be involved for the ACB or for cricket generally, and I think that would be a good outcome, and my suspicion is that a lot of the players feel that way. But in the end this is a democracy and I don't put prohibitions on the freedom of movement of Australian citizens, particularly sportsmen and women who are free to travel wherever they like.
GRIMSHAW:
Prime Minister, thank you for your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
You're welcome.
[ends]