PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I'd like to publicly for the first time welcome His Excellency President Musharraf of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This is the first visit to Australia by a Pakistani Head of State and the President is very warmly welcomed. I told the President how much I personally and the Australian Government admires his courageous participation and that of his country in the fight against terrorism. He himself has survived two assassination attempts, it's a measure of the danger that he's exposed himself to in participating in that fight and it ought to be a mark of the regard we have for him and the courage that he's displayed. I've also said how much Australia appreciates his role in the warming of relations between India and Pakistan, both of those countries have long historical ties with Australia. We have much in common and we look forward to a consolidation and a continuation of that process. Pakistan of course has been fully restored as a participating member of the Commonwealth and the President will be attending the next meeting of the Commonwealth to be held in Malta later this year. We discussed of course the opportunities for further educational links particularly the provision of some scholarships by Australia to Pakistani students and also the expansion of trade and investment links and we also witnessed the signing of the three Memoranda of Understanding, one on counter terrorism, one on agriculture and one on fostering ties between the Australian Securities and Investment Commission and its counterpart body in Pakistan designed to provide greater protection for investors. I want to conclude by saying that Pakistan and Australia have long ties of history, we have long ties of shared sporting interests and sporting rivalries and the President and I are no strangers to the passion of our two countries in relation to one sport in particular but we do welcome you to Australia, sir and I look forward to the opportunity of saying a little more of these matters at the Parliamentary luncheon.
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF:
Thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Prime Minister has been extremely kind and gracious in his complimentary remarks on me. I am extremely grateful to him. I have told him how grateful we are, myself, my wife, and the entire delegation, for all the cordialities, for all the warmth and hospitality being shown to all of us since the time we've come, and how glad I am at being the first President of Pakistan to visit Australia. I look forward to very strong ties in the future. We have discussed all issues in an extremely cordial environment and may I say that it was an extreme privilege for me to have exchanged views with the Prime Minister in such a frank and a cordial atmosphere. We discussed all issues of peace, security and development. On the issue of peace, I did brief the Prime Minister on our efforts to normalise situations in south Asiana region, on our developing the rapprochement that is going on between Pakistan and India and our efforts to counter, or to bring peace and harmony in Afghanistan. On the issue of security we did highlight what Pakistan, the Pakistan, the role that we have played in countering terrorism, in fighting against Al Qaeda and the successes that we have made in neutralising or marginalising Al Qaeda from Pakistan. On the issue of development, we did, I highlighted our request for support from Australia in the area of trade, enhancement of trade, especially exports from Pakistan. On the issue of joint ventures and investment in Pakistan and we highlighted especially the area of agriculture, dairy farming, livestock farming, mineral development as areas of focus where Australia could assist Pakistan. I have also requested the Prime Minister to help us in enhancing scholarships to students from Pakistan who would like to come and study in your universities for postgraduate degrees. May I say the Prime Minister has been extremely gracious in listening to our requests and extremely forthcoming also. I would like to close by saying I have invited the Prime Minister to Pakistan. It would be our honour if the Mr Prime Minister, with his wife, came to Pakistan and gave us an opportunity to reciprocate the hospitality that has been shown to us here in Australia. I look forward to an era of enhancement of relations between Pakistan and Australia. It will be further enhanced if the Prime Minister came to Pakistan. I thank you sir.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
A couple of questions.
JOURNALIST:
Ah yes Sir, Mr Prime Minister I'm (inaudible) from Pakistan Broadcasting. Your Excellency President Musharraf's strategy of conducting moderation was aimed at establishing a lasting and durable decent world. On the one hand it calls the Muslim, calls upon the Muslims to reject extremism and terrorism and more for socio economic development. On the other hand, it urges the West, the developed world, to help resolve the lingering political disputes which are at the core of extremism and terrorism. But Mr Prime Minister the developed world is yet to deliver on this front. And President Musharaff has been seeking the help from the developed world to help resolve the disputes to establish a lasting peace in the world. Your comments please?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well I think the fight against terrorism involves not only winning the military side of it which is very important, but it also involves winning the battle of ideas. It involves addressing the sources of denial and under privilege that are exploited by the terrorists. Many of the terrorists themselves are anything but denied and underprivileged. But they often seek to exploit that. I believe that the greatest contribution that the wealthy developed world could make to the less developed world would be to break down trade barriers. Trade is infinitely more valuable to the developing world than aid. Aid is important but trade is even more important and I do hope in the context of the Doha Round that the developed world will understand the importance of breaking down, for example, agricultural barriers which are so very costly to developing countries.
JOURNALIST:
Australia wouldn't think of improving bilateral trade relations in a bid to, as President Musharaff said yesterday, increase job creation and help ease poverty that way?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well we already have very low tariffs, we have, reducing tariffs in areas like footwear, clothing and textiles and in autos. But in the multilateral context and there are always opportunities that can be taken bilaterally and that was raised and the Trade Minister and his counterpart will be pursuing that further. But I do wish to make the point that Australia is not any longer a high tariff country and we are in fact a very low tariff country.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister did you pledge any concrete assistance in terms of industry assistance that the President has sought yesterday in the Press Club address and also today - have you made any concrete pledges?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well we have to understand that investment in particular activities comes from the private sector. The Australian Government does not invest, generically speaking, in industry. We haven't for a long time and we don't intend to re-enter that field. But the President did raise with me the possibility of the Government playing a more active role in facilitating and encouraging private sector investment and we have certainly undertaken to try and do that. One more question and then we, in the interests of warmer relations, we might end this rather cool press conference.
JOURNALIST:
President, Pakistan and India, Pakistan and China used to have a common foe which is India. With the rapprochement of relations between Pakistan and India, do we see any, and the Chinese relations with India as well - do we see any readjustment of Pakistan's relations with China especially in the area of military cooperation?
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF:
Strategic relationships don't change with tactical developments and also we believe in bilateral relations and bilateral relations do not get affected through other factors. If there are developments between China and India, they do not certainly affect our relations with China. And so also if there are any developments and rapprochement going on between Pakistan and India, our relations with China remain constant. There is no change in that.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Thank you.
JOURNALIST:
Any comment on Imron Cotan's recall to Indonesia?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I beg your pardon?
JOURNALIST:
Imron Cotan's recall to Indonesia.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
No I don't. Thank you.
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF:
Thank you very much.
[ends]