GHANEM:
Prime Minister what is the latest you can share with us about the situation in Lebanon, especially from the perspective of the people who have been stranded?
PRIME MINISTER:
We are very, very concerned about the situation of Australians who have been caught up in this war, and from Friday when we established a crisis centre in Canberra we have been working overtime to get them out. As I speak a total of 315 Australians have been evacuated and arrangements in a whole lot of other ways are in hand to evacuate more. It is a chaotic situation, there's no doubt about that and it changes from hour to hour. We are hopeful that more people will be evacuated in the next few days, but I hesitate to be any more specific than that because things can go wrong at the last minute.
GHANEM:
Hopefully not.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we hope not, but I don't want to unreasonably raise people's expectations. It is very difficult. We would ask people, hard though it is, to remain patient. We also ask them to keep the possessions they want to take out of the country to a minimum. I'm told for example that 40 people declined an offer to go out on a helicopter because...
GHANEM:
They had their belongings.
PRIME MINISTER:
They had their luggage, and the British helicopter people, understandably, said we can't take the luggage as well. Now I know it's hard, but we're in a very difficult situation.
GHANEM:
We appreciate that Prime Minister, especially that it is a huge logistic operation and maybe it is the first on that scale for Australia. I don't think we have the experience of the Americans or the French or the Canadians to evacuate their citizens from hotspots around the world. But also we understand that it was a couple of remarks about the cost of this operation. Allow me to convey the feelings about these remarks that it is insulting to them. Do you share this Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'm not aware that anybody with any authority has said anything about cost, and cost is not an issue as far as I'm concerned, and cost has never been an issue as far as Mr Downer is concerned. The safety of...
GHANEM:
I didn't want to talk about or name him, but he was the source of this...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well look, I think he's been misunderstood. I've talked to Mr Downer and Mr Downer is as concerned about this situation as I am. But we have to be careful to stick to the facts and you can't be certain that other countries have been greatly more successful in evacuating these citizens.
GHANEM:
Civilians.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well you have to understand, I mean there's no point in us getting into a debate.
GHANEM:
Of course not.
PRIME MINISTER:
Nothing is achieved by that, but bear in mind that countries like France and Sweden are much closer geographically to Lebanon than is Australia. I mean it would, for example, take 17 days I'm told for the Australian naval vessel in the Persian Gulf to go around and that is much closer to Lebanon than is Australia. The main message I want to convey to distressed relatives in Australia and indeed through them to their loved ones in Lebanon is that we are concerned. We have not abandoned them and any suggestion we have is unfair and I reject it totally, completely. We are doing our best but like all other countries it is very difficult. I spoke to the Canadian Prime Minister last night, for example, and he is facing similar difficulties. He was not able to be very specific with me because he had no guarantee that the ships they thought they had chartered would actually be allowed in to Beirut Harbour. Now...
GHANEM:
That would lead me Prime Minister to ask about the contacts with the Israeli Government. So far our Government hasn't been successful in that endeavour. Are you, our Government is still trying to get them, to convince them at least to get these people who are stranded in the south of Lebanon, our citizens, stranded in south of Lebanon. Some of them, I heard latest report that a couple of our citizens killed there.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that may not be correct. There are many reports. Mr Downer has spoken twice to the Israeli Foreign Minister. No country, to use your language, has been successful in persuading Israel to another course. So it's not just Australia. I mean the United States have expressed views and the French and others have expressed views. You do have to understand the Israeli position. The Israelis were attacked by Hezbollah. This started when Hezbollah, without justification, crossed the Israeli border in a very provocative act. Now I want peace, I would like to see the hostilities stop tomorrow, stop now, everybody would like that. But you can't ignore the history of the Middle East and I don't think it is realistic for us to ignore what caused this latest outbreak. But our concern is not in so much to pass judgement on Israel or on Lebanon, our concern is the safety of Australians. And we are doing our best. It is difficult, I can't give guarantees except that we will do everything possible without regard to cost. I want to make that very clear, to help people to safety. But there has to be patience and understanding of a very difficult position. And I really do reject very strongly the suggestion made by some spokesmen on behalf of the Australian Lebanese community that we have deliberately abandoned Australians. We will never do that and it is very unfair of that claim to be made.
GHANEM:
One of them said the Australians from Lebanese background are being treated as second class citizens.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is really very offensive and wrong and I want, on behalf of the Australian Government, to repudiate that suggestion. Our obligation is to help all Australians irrespective of their ethnic background. They're all equal in my eyes and we help all Australians wherever they are in the world but we can't achieve miracles. We are living in a very difficult war zone. We have put a lot more people there and some 29 additional diplomatic people have gone to the four embassies, to Beirut, to Nicosia and to Ankara and we will continue to provide additional military personnel. Another 65 are on their way as I speak to join another 19 who have been dispatched since Friday, so we are...
GHANEM:
Not sleeping too much then?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we are providing a lot of additional resources and I just want to say again that we are trying very hard, but it's not helpful for unfair allegations to be made about the bona fides of the Australian Government.
GHANEM:
However, asking you a question regarding that because we were talking about the Israeli situation. My colleagues at 2ME on hour ago interviewed the Israeli Ambassador in Australia and there was a comment which attracted my attention and I thought I will ask you about that. He said that Lebanon has been, the sovereignty of Lebanon, has been hijacked by Hezbollah. Do you share this view Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh I think Hezbollah has exerted far too much influence in Lebanon. They are his words, let me give you my words. My words are that Hezbollah is the cause of this latest outbreak of violence. Hezbollah is an enemy of the Lebanese people.
GHANEM:
But they have 23 elected MPs and two senior ministers in the cabinet?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes but that doesn't; you asked me my view and I am giving you my view and I know many Australians of Lebanese decent who are very critical of Hezbollah. I spoke to one of them yesterday at a community function and he was very critical of Hezbollah and he said Hezbollah was the problem. Now that's the debate about the cause and the responsibility, but my biggest responsibility now is the safety of Australians who are in Lebanon and we are working overtime, day and night to help those people and I don't want there to be any suggestion anywhere in the Australian community that we are indifferent to the fate of any Australian.
GHANEM:
I think I have to mention to be fair that as a broadcaster that Hezbollah is not bad in many areas and in many political, speaking politically here that they are a resistance movement not a...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Israel's experience with Hezbollah is that of an aggressor, not a resistance movement.
GHANEM:
Prime Minister, you are now speaking to the whole Arabic-speaking community in Australia, and from the podium of 2ME I think Prime Minister you have the best podium to tell them what you think and what you want to say to them.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I want to say them that we are doing everything we can to help our fellow Australians, we have not abandoned Australians of Lebanese background in Lebanon or indeed anywhere else in the world, all Australians are treated equally. It's a war-like situation, it is changing from hour to hour, almost minute to minute, and I understand fully the sense of despair and anguish and desperation. But it's happened suddenly, we are a long way from Lebanon. Unlike other countries, we don't have ships and planes right nearby because it's a long way and we are doing everything we can. 315 have already been evacuated and I hope that hundreds more will be evacuated over the coming days, but I don't want to be more specific because the situation can change.
GHANEM:
Do we have intelligence...
PRIME MINISTER:
I never talk about intelligence.
GHANEM:
Maybe let me re-phrase it Prime Minister; are we briefed, our Government being briefed about the situation, about what is really happening there?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well of course I am being briefed on a very regular basis but you will understand that I can't talk about intelligence matters. But again returning to the main point of the interview, and that is my concern for the people, the Australians who are there and I don't want anybody to think for a moment that we are indifferent.
GHANEM:
Briefly, repeating our thanks for your time, as a podium we are reaching all Arabic speaking people around Australia. What can radio 2ME do to assist our Government in this great crisis?
PRIME MINSTER:
Well I think the best thing you can do is just report the facts and just keep a fair report of this interview and I am happy.
GHANEM:
You will have, this interview will be repeated word by word Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
GHANEM:
Thank you again for your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
[ends]