2 September 1999
Subject: Release of Steve Pratt and Peter Wallace
E&OE……………………………………………………………………………………
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, great news with the release of Steve Pratt and Peter Wallace.
PRIME MINISTER:
It is fantastic news. It’s an immense relief to them, to their families. I’m so grateful to so many people that have worked so very hard over a long time to secure their release. Especially I compliment Alexander Downer. This is a victory for, I suppose, the cumulative efforts of diplomacy, of quiet diplomacy. A lot of people help. Alexander of course spearheaded it on behalf of the Government. I thank Malcolm Fraser the Chairman of Care. I thank all of the other people around the world - President Clinton, the Prime Minister of Britain, Nelson Mandela the former President of South Africa, Jesse Jackson. Just so many people tried so hard. I also acknowledge that the presence in Australia of so many Australians of Serbian descent played a role and was an influence. And ultimately of course the very personal appeals of Peter Wallace’s parents, of Steve Pratt’s wife. All of those things came together but it is wonderful news. They were never spies. They were there helping in a humanitarian way the people of Yugoslavia and it was always wrong that they be taken into captivity and be convicted and I’m so grateful that they’ve been released. We feel for Branko Jelen, the remaining aid worker. He’s, on my information, equally innocent of any suggestion of spying. And we hope that the efforts will go on. I know they will. Mr Fraser made that clear this morning. But from the point of view of Steve and Peter it’s a wonderful outcome and I know that their families in particular must be feeling a sense of overwhelming relief and gratitude that they have been released.
JOURNALIST:
Do you have any idea when they might be home Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
No I don’t. I know no more than what has been on the news this morning. They are going to London and there’ll be some talks and debriefing etcetera there, and then I guess they’ll want to get home pretty quickly. I’m sure they want to see Australian soil again. After being five months in captivity it would be the one thing in their minds and they want to see their families. But I imagine it will be in a few days time.
JOURNALIST:
Were you always confident that they would be released?
PRIME MINISTER:
I was always hopeful. We got news late last week that it was likely to happen and we sweated of course, the few of us who knew about it, over the past few days hoping that nothing would go wrong and that everything would materialise in the right direction. And when Alexander told me yesterday that it was about to happen in a few hours I guess we got even more expectant. And it must have been an extraordinary experience for him to ring their families last night to say it was about to happen. And it’s a terrific thing because they never deserved to be in gaol and they were the innocent victims of military combat.
JOURNALIST:
Will the Government be helping with trauma counseling?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well look obviously we’ll do anything that’s needed. Care itself is providing a lot of that. And obviously any help the men need they’ll get.
JOURNALIST:
Will the Government now be increasing aid to Yugoslavia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we’ll look at that sensibly. We have no argument with the people of Yugoslavia, none whatsoever. Our disagreement has always been with the Milosovic regime. But we will do what we can to help the people of Yugoslavia. We’ll always take a humanitarian point of view. There are tens of thousands, indeed several hundred thousand Australians of Serbian descent and they’re a very honoured part of our community. And we don’t want any ongoing dispute with their former homeland.
[Ends]