PRIME MINISTER:
The APEC meeting which is taking place in Korea in a couple of days time will have the challenge of getting behind the World Trade Organisation talks, if this Doha Round fails, then the prospects of the world opening up its markets, particularly agricultural markets for developing countries, will suffer an enormous setback. In a welcome move the Americans have offered very significant concessions in the area of agriculture, those concessions are strongly backed by Australia, they need to be matched by the Europeans and others including the Japanese. In all three areas, the United States, Europe and Japan, the levels of agricultural protection are very high, they're certainly damagingly high to Australian farmers but separately from that, they are particularly damaging to the exporters of the many of the least developed countries in the world. Trade is more valuable to poor countries than aid and a breakthrough on this front will be tremendously important. I also expect the meeting to spend some time talking about the potential challenges of a bird flu outbreak in our part of the world and Australia will be making some significant contributions to that issue and there will also be extensive discussions, I suspect, regarding issues relating to energy, particularly in the light of the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Energy and Development which was announced several weeks ago. After the meeting of APEC, I will pay a bilateral visit to Pakistan to return the visit that was paid to Australia by General Musharraf and then following that I will go on to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malta. Do you have any questions?
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, will you raise the issue of the Australian on death row in Singapore at the meeting?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes. Not at the meeting, I will raise it bilaterally.
JOURNALIST:
What will you say?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well something appropriate, there is no point in telegraphing in advance what you say at a meeting like that, it is unhelpful. I do not want to raise expectations, there are no signs that the Singaporean Government is likely to change its mind. If the opportunity presents itself, as I expect it will, I will raise the matter again but whatever faint hope there may be, is not advanced by megaphone diplomacy and giving public lectures to other countries. It's easy for other people to do that, if I do it, it becomes counter-productive and I hope some of the people who have been critical of me in relation to this issue in Australia will understand that.
JOURNALIST:
Do you hold faint hope Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think it's very, very unlikely that the Singaporean Government will change its mind, it has made that very clear, we have tried everything and we will continue to try things, but I would be cruelly dishonest to the family of this man, and to the many people who want him spared, to pretend that I think there is any real hope that the Singaporean Government will change its mind.
JOURNALIST:
You mentioned significant contributions to bird flu, what will Australia be doing?
PRIME MINISTER:
We will be making a significant contribution to the discussion and there will be one or two things that I will be announcing there and I think I will wait till the meeting before I do that. We have been very active on this front, we convened the meeting of health experts in Brisbane and Mr Downer is at the Foreign Ministers' meeting at the present time and we continue to see Australia as something of a co-leadership role on this issue in the region.
JOURNALIST:
Did you discuss David Hicks with Mr Gonzales yesterday?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes I did discuss David Hicks with the Attorney-General yesterday, we had quite a lengthy discussion. I said that we wanted him brought to trial, to the Military Commission as soon as possible. The latest delay is not the fault of the American Government or the Australian Government, the latest delay is a result of legal action taken by Mr Hicks' lawyers.
JOURNALIST:
How about overnight with the amendment that detainees cannot challenge their detention in a court of law?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is something that is going to be worked out in the American system and you shouldn't assume that just because a resolution has been passed by the Senate it will ultimately be given effect to.
JOURNALIST:
Will you be seeking any agreements or any further discussion on the war on terrorism?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think it is an issue that will plainly be discussed but we already have very extensive bilateral understandings with Indonesia, with Malaysia, with of course the United States and with many other countries in the APEC region, thank you.
JOURNALIST:
What concessions that the US have made (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER:
They've made a very significant offer to reduce their subsidies, it was announced two weeks ago, it was foreshadowed by President Bush at the United Nations, Thank you.
JOURNALIST:
Soccer?
PRIME MINISTER:
Soccer, oh soccer, well I am very, very sorry that my travel to APEC means that I can't be at the match tonight. I've sent a message to the team, I wish them well, they'll have 20 million very enthusiastic supporters, they can do it. The home-town advantage is enormous and I would exhort everybody there and everybody watching the match to will them to victory. Thank you.
[ends]