PRIME MINISTER:
I think APEC has regained some momentum. This is the best APEC meeting I've been to over the last three or four years.
MCGRATH:
Why more momentum?
PRIME MINISTER:
The world economy is doing better. President Bush has been re-elected. There's a very strong American commitment to APEC. You have the engagement of the Chinese and the Americans, and there's quite unanimous agreement that we should try and get a successful world trade round. So that's all on the plus side.
MCGRATH:
Yet no concrete trading outcome from here with regarding APEC? No actual movement here in the APEC grouping specifically.
PRIME MINISTER:
But it's not designed to do that. We've had a lot of bilateral movement between APEC members. Australia and the United Sates - their free trade agreement will come into force on the 1st of January next, as will the free trade agreement with Thailand. We've had one with Singapore for 18 months. We've got a scoping study on one with China. The talks between Australia and Malaysia are going very well, and there's activity between other countries not involving Australia. So all of that is occurring.
MCGRATH:
But are we any closer to achieving the goals set down by APEC.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes we are. We've made progress towards them and that's the most important thing. You don't want to get hung up with process. You have to look at outcomes and there is freer trade and more investment within the APEC area than there was when APEC was established, and APEC has been a driver towards re-establishing the momentum of the world trade negotiations.
MCGRATH:
You met with President George W. Bush on the sidelines of the APEC meetings. What did you talk about? Did you talk about Iraq, Fallujah?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we talked about a number of prospective domestic political issues which you can imagine we talked about...
MCGRATH:
The FTA?
PRIME MINISTER:
...campaigning. Oh, yes. But the FTA's a done deal.
MCGRATH:
He didn't raise any issues with you?
PRIME MINISTER:
No he didn't. We talked quite a bit about North Korea, which is one of the more challenging issues we have at the present time. Both of us believe very strongly that this matter should be resolved within the framework of the six power discussions. It is not something that should devolve to a bilateral issue between the United States and North Korea. There are other countries that have an interest in this issue. China has a very big role to play. I believe China has played a constructive role, and North Korea was an issue that I discussed with the Chinese President.
MCGRATH:
What about Iraq, because the fighting is continuing. Fallujah's battle is over for the moment but obviously the difficulties continue. Did you talk about that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh look, we briefly mentioned it but the course in Iraq is well set. The Americans are not going to change their position and neither are we. In a sense we'd be reconfirming what we've already agreed a long time ago and that is that the Coalition must persist in establishing a democratic state in Iraq. That has been the objective, and that will remain the objective, and there comes a point where there is really not much more to talk about.
MCGRATH:
There's a lot of discussion at this APEC meeting that your goals for APEC and President Bush's goals for APEC are different; that he's more focussed on security now, you're more focussed on trade.
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, I think that's in a sense a bit of imagination. I don't think we're terribly different. Of course we all talk about security but he's very committed to trade, and he made it very clear that America is very committed to seeing a successful Doha Round.
[ends]