PRIME MINISTER:
Ladies and gentlemen, the Blix report and the report of Dr ElBaradei was delivered last night. The Blix report does not add anything to the debate. It merely tells us what we already knew and that is that Iraq is not responding to the demands placed upon it by Resolution 1441. It has provided a few morsels of additional cooperation, forced upon it by the pressure, not so much of the inspectors, but rather the American military deployment, a fact acknowledged very directly by the Secretary General of the United Nations, and also something implicit in the remarks of Dr Blix himself.
I found the most revealing part of Dr Blix's report to be the very last paragraph where he said that the disarmament process could be completed quite quickly if there were, and then he quoted the requirements of Resolution 1441, in other words he was saying if Iraq seriously and genuinely cooperated, then the disarmament process could be completed quite rapidly. It's very clear from that that he does not believe that Iraq is cooperating genuinely. That is our view. That was obvious before the report. It remains the case since the report. But in the end this is not a matter that can be resolved by Dr Blix. The judgement is not one for Dr Blix to make. He merely reports in terms of the resolution. The judgement is one for the Security Council of the United Nations to make and just as before Dr Blix's report was delivered the issue fairly and squarely in the lap of the Security Council. That is the case now and that remains the position.
Can I just add one other thing unrelated to Iraq, but because you're here I think it's important that it be said, and that is how warmly I welcome the decision of Yasser Arafat, the chairman of the Palestinian Council, to appoint a Prime Minister for the Palestinian Council. It's an important recognition of the desire of the international community for an additional figure of authority and respect with whom to negotiate, and I welcome it. And if all of us want to see progress made in that very difficult situation, and this is a very valuable acknowledgment and a very valuable concession from the chairman of the Palestinian Council.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, do you think that the Blix report, whatever else it says does not back the case for a second resolution within the Security Council any easier, does it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well if you look at the substance of it, the Blix report neither adds to not detracts in my opinion.
JOURNALIST:
Are you disappointed that Blix report doesn't go to that question?
PRIME MINISTER:
I didn't think it would. I had a discussion with Dr Blix. Dr Blix put his view very plainly from the report. He was very plain with the view that he put to me. He regards the responsibility for political decision making, quite rightly, to belong to the members of the Security Council. He's not going to do their job for them, and I don't blame him.
JOURNALIST:
Have you got cause to be optimistic about getting a decent resolution out of the Security Council?
PRIME MINISTER:
I remain of the view that in the end, commonsense ought to prevail.
JOURNALIST:
Do you believe that the Blix report undermined [inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't think in the end it adds anything much, and that as I say, didn't surprise me. You will recall that after I had seen Dr Blix, I didn't really go into any speculative detail about what I thought he might say. I mean he very plainly takes the view, and he's right, that this is not a matter for him to decide. He's got to report. And the relevance of his report, to me, is that it confirms what we already knew.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] inspection process [inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that ultimately is a matter for the Security Council to decide, but my position is that it's not time for the inspectors, but it's the attitude of Iraq that matters. And unless and until Iraq changes its attitude, time in a sense is irrelevant. You're not going to get anywhere. We've had 12 years. I said in my statement to Parliament that if there were a change of attitude from Iraq, if there were a genuine, unconditional, unrestrained measure of cooperation between Iraq and the weapons inspectors, then they could have all the time in the world. But Dr Blix makes the observation in his report, this reinforces my argument, that disarmament could occur pretty quickly if they cooperated. So interestingly enough, in a very factual way, Dr Blix has undermined in that comment the very argument of those who argue the solution to this is more time. See, what Dr Blix was saying in that last paragraph was that it's not time but it's attitude, it's not time but attitude which is the relevant consideration.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, if that's the case then the French proposal of a timetable [inaudible] is too long in your view?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I don't think there is any point in my sort of responding to each individual gesture by France or indeed any other country. I'm stating an Australian position, as I've said at various stages in this debate. I don't seek to define my view in response to the views put forward by others. Two more questions, because I've got to see the President shortly and you've got to get in place.
JOURNALIST:
What's your response to the protest marches throughout Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
My response? Well people are perfectly entitled to lawfully protest in Australia. We are a democracy and I don't think there will be any peaceful, spontaneous demonstrations in the streets of Baghdad over the weekend, but there will be in London and New York and Sydney and Melbourne, and that sort of demonstrates that we are an open society.
JOURNALIST:
Is it your view that Iraq only has a matter of weeks to comply with 1441?
PRIME MINISTER:
As I said a moment ago Dennis, I don't want to start getting into that kind of specificity. It's not time, it's attitude. Dr Blix said that in that very last paragraph. I've been saying that all along. I mean if there were a proper attitude, time would be irrelevant, and in any event according to Dr Blix you wouldn't need much. One more.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, the Indonesian Government has indicated that it [inaudible] What will you say today to....persuade her?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I haven't come here to persuade Indonesia to a particular position. Indonesia, like us, is not a member of the Security Council. I primarily come here to thank Indonesia for the wonderful cooperation in the investigation of the Bali attack, to talk about other bilateral issues. I will take the opportunity of explaining Australia's attitude towards Iraq. I will certainly take the opportunity of pointing out to her and to other members of the Indonesian Government that there is no anti-Islamic component in our attitude towards Iraq. Those who argue that Australia's attitude, the United States and indeed anybody else's attitude who wants to disarm Iraq is based on the hostility to Islam, are completely wrong and that is a false view put around not to improve relations between the great religions of the world, but rather to damage relations between the great religions of the world. I will, amongst other things, point out that western nations broadly described as Christian took up arms on behalf of the Muslims of Kosovo against the Orthodox people of Serbia in 1999. It's hardly a demonstration of lining up on religious grounds. I regard that as a quite absurd, monstrous distortion of what is at stake regarding Iraq.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think it damages relations?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I don't think... I think the relationship is in good shape and I think it will remain in good shape. Thank you. We'll see you all later.
[ends]