Subjects: President Elect George W Bush
E&OE……………………………………………………………………………………
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister I believe you’ve spoken to the President-Elect today.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes we spoke by telephone about half an hour ago. I congratulated him on his win. I said that our two governments would work together very closely. We both agreed of course that relations between Australia and the United States are as close as the relations between any two countries can get. As it happens next year is the 50th anniversary of the signing of the ANZUS Treaty which became the foundation of the post World War II defence alliance between Australia and the United States. And we both agreed that there be some special honouring of that quite unique partnership between our two people.
JOURNALIST:
And did the President-Elect give you any indication of how he might regard the Australian relationship?
PRIME MINISTER:
Very very importantly. We have a very close association as two peoples and as two nations. He certainly respects and values that. As it happens I personally know a number of the senior people in his team. Richard Cheney, the Vice President Elect, retired General Colin Powell who’s speculated to have a very high position. I know both of them very well. I think we’ll have good relations with the new administration. We will have inevitably varying points of view on issues affecting our countries differently but in the broad areas there’ll be very close associations and cooperation and I think he’s set a very good tone after a very difficult post election period and I think he’ll do a great job for his country and for the free world.
JOURNALIST:
And what was Mr Bush able to tell you about transitional arrangements?
PRIME MINISTER:
We talked a little bit about some of his plans but they are really things for him to say not for me. And I also inquired and sent my good wishes to his father who’s got a new hip he told me.
JOURNALIST:
Obviously the President-Elect would be getting phone calls from around the world. You must have been pretty high in the queue then.
PRIME MINISTER:
I don’t know his exact diary but I think I was. But any way, that’s a matter that the Americans can talk about. But there’s a very close association and no matter who the American President turned out to be we would have been working closely with him. And I want to record my respect for the job that President Clinton has done and to commiserate as one does with Vice President Gore. But you can only have one winner. We all know that in politics. And George Bush will make a great President and he’ll certainly have the goodwill of the Australian people and the close help and cooperation of my Government.
JOURNALIST:
Now ideologically of course you’re closer to President-Elect Bush than Mr Gore and it was suggested that Mr Bush would be better for Australia on a number of issues. So it’s all come together in that sense for Australia hasn’t it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well certainly when it comes to trade matters. I would hope that a republican administration would be more understanding and accommodating of Australia’s position and more willing to take on the European Union in the cause of freer trade. But I recognise that the differences may only be marginal. Everybody punches hard for their own people and their own interests. And in our discussion this morning we acknowledged that. But I do think on balance it’s better trade wise for us and I also believe that a Republican administration, particularly one led by the President-Elect will show a greater interest in the Asia Pacific. It’ll obviously have a very strong Atlantic focus but it will also show a broader interest in the Asia Pacific and that will be very good for us as well.
JOURNALIST:
Were you able to put in any trade messages, or even defence messages to Mr Bush?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think the whole tenor of the conversation was about the importance of the relationship. The more detailed elements of it are things that will come after people have been appointed. But the very fact that we’ve spoken so soon after his confirmation and the very fact that we were able to identify immediately the centrality of the relationship to both countries indicates that we’ll be able to talk constructively in detail about all of these things.
[Ends]