PRIME MINISTER'S INTERVIEW WITH SRI LANKA BROADCASTING
CORPORATION 15 DECEMBER 1974
PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT: INTERVIEW WITH SRI LANKA
BROADCASTING CORPORATION,
FOLLOWING IS THE TEXT OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S INTERVIEW
WITH SRI LANKA BROADCASTING CORPORATION HELD IN COLOMBO
AT 0815 HOURS SUNDAY 15 DECEMBER 1974.
1. QUESTION: MR PRIME MINISTER, SRI LANKA HAS CLOSE LINKS
WITH AUSTRALIA.
WHAT ARE THE MEASURES THAT BOTH NATIONS COULD TAKE TO
FURTHER STRENGTHEN THESE TIES PARTICULARLY IN THE FIELD OF
ECONOMIC CO-OPERATON?
ANSWER: I LOOK FOR14ARD TO THE STRENGTHENING OF THE LONGSTANDING
TIES BETWEEN SRI LANKA AND AUSTRALIA.
APART FROM OUR CONTINUING CO-OPERATION IN INTERNATIONAL
FORUMS LIKE THE COMMONWEALTH AND THE UNITED NATIONS, I
WOULD HOPE THAT-OUR TIES WILL BE FURTHER CONSOLIDATED
THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND
THE GROWING NETWORK OF CULTURAL AND OTHER CONTACTS.
2. QUESTION: WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPAL EFFECTS OF THE
ENLARGEMENT OF T-HE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY ON THE
AUJSTRALIAN ECONOMY? AND WHAT STEPS IS AUSTRALIA TAKING TO
COPE WITH ANY PROBLEMS ARISING IN THIS CONTEXT?
ANSWER: THE ENLARGEMENT OF THE COMMUNITY HAS NOT HAD MUCH
EFFECT ON THE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMY IN TOTAL.
IT HAS MEANT SOME RE-DIRECTION OF AUSTRALIAN EXPORT TRADE IN
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AWAY FROM EUROPE TO OTHER, AND
PRINCIPALLY ASIAN, MARKETS.
THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD HAS BEEN MADE EASIER FOR 0 MNON,
AUSTRALIA BY THE STRONG WORLD DEMAND FOR FOODSTUFFS
OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. s
A NOTABLE EXCEPTION TO ALL THIS HAS BEEN MEAT MORE
ESPECIALLY BEEF.
BRITAIN WAS ONCE A VALVED MARKET FOR AUSTRALIAN BEEF, BUT
WITH THE CLOSING OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY MARKET
TO IMPORTS OF BEEF, THE BRITISH MARKET HAS OF COURSE ALSO
BEENJ CLOSED TO AUSTRALIA..
AT THE SAME TIME, THE JAPANESE HAVE CLOSED OFF THEIR-MEAT
IMPORTS.
SO WE HAVE SOME VERY GREAT PROBLEMS WITH BEEF.
I SHALL TAKE THIS UP IN BRUSSELS AND THE OTHER E. E. C.
CAPITALS IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, BRITAIN HAS SOUGHT TO CONTINUE
TO IMPORT SUGAR FROM AUSTRALIA AS IN THE PAST.
THr EEC RULES WILL NOT PERMIT THIS.
BUT IN THE CASE OF SUGAR, THE BRITISH HOUSEWIfVES ARE THE
LOSERS AS AUSTRALIA HAS NO DIFFICULTY IN FINDING ALTERNATE
LONG-TERM MARKETS FOR SUGAR.
IN GENERAL, AUSTRALIA WELCOMES THE ENLARGEMENT OF THE
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY, AND APART FROM THE EVIDENT
POLIT ICAL BENEFITS WHICH WILL FLOW FROM PROGRESSIVE MOVES
TOW.' ARDS GREATER POLITICAL UNION IN EUROPE, AUSTRALIA SEES
THE EMERGENCE OF AN ECONOMICALLY STRONG EUROPE AS ADVANTAGEOUS'
TO AUSTRALIA'S LONG-TERM TRADE INTERESTS.
NO DOUBT PROBLEMS WJILL ARISE FROM TIME TO TIME AND WE HOPE
TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO SIT DOWN WITH THE EUROPEANS TO
TALK THEM THROUGH, AS WE HAVE FOR SOME YEARSo AND THIS
I'LL BE DOING IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
3. QUESTION: ON THE SUBJECT OF THE INDIAN OCEAN PEACE ZONE
PROPOSAL, WHAT ROLE DOES AUSTRALIA EXPECT TO PLAY IN-ITS
IMPLEMENJTAT ION?
ANSWER: AUSTRALIA WANTS TO HELP REDUCE TENSIONS IN THE ASIAN
REGION. SHORTLY AFTER MY GOVERNMENT CAME TO POWER IT ANNOUNCED THAT
AUSTRALIA WOULD SUPPORT SRI LANKA'S INITIATIVE FOR A ZONE
OF PEACE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN.
WE SHALL CONTINUE TO CO-OPERATE IN THE UNITED NATIONS WITH
so N
-2-
SRI LANKA AND THE INDIAN OCEAN LITTORAL STATES ON ! HIS QUE: STION.
WE HAVE MADE REPRESENTATIONS TO THE GREAT POWERS BOTH THE
UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION URGING ON THEM MUTUAL
RESTRAINT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR MILITARY PRESENCE IN
THE INDIAN OCEAN.
WE SHALL CONTINUE TO TAKE WHAT STEPS WE CAN TO REDUCE-THE
PROSPECTS OF GREAT POWER CONFRONTATION IN THE INDIAN OCEAN.
4. QUESTION: WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THE VIEW THAT THE
PROSPECTS FOR WORLD PEACE ARE BETTER NOW THAN THEY HAVE EVER
BEEN SINCE THE LAST WORLD WAR?
ANSWER: YES, I WOULD. I DON'T DENY THAT THERE CAN BE AN
OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES IN INDIVIDUAL REGIONS.
I THINK IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THEY WILL SPREAD ROUND THE WORLD.
PEACE DOES NOT COME SIMPLY BECAUSE WE WANT IT.
IT HAS TO BE CONSOLIDATED PATIENTLY THROUGH CONTACTS
BETWEEN LEADERS, ACCOMMODATIONS AND THE RECONCILIATION
OF CONFLICTING INTERESTS.
DETENTE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION MUST
BE MADE TO WORK AND THE MIDDLE AND SMALLER POWERS OR THE POWERS
WHICH ARE STRATEGICALLY LOCATED COUNTRIES LIKE AUSTRALIA
AND SRI LANKA MUST CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE THE LARGER
COUNTRIES TO GRASP THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUILDING AN
INTERNATIONAL STRUCTURE OF PEACE AND THIS STRUCTURE , I
BELIEVE, IS BETTER NOW THAN IT HAS BEEN SINCE THE SECOND
WORLD 9AR.
QUESTION: ONE FINAL QUESTION. HOW DO YOU ENVISAGE
AUSTRALIA'S FUTURE ROLE IN ASIA AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF
ASIA ASIAN COUNTRIES?
AN SWER:
THIS IS A VAST SUBJECT OF COURSE. BRIEFLY, AUSTRALIA
SEEKS TO ESTABLISH HER OWN IDENTITY IN ASIA.
OUR HISTORY AND OUR GEOGRAPHY HAVE AFFORDED US AN OPPORTUNITY
TO BUILD LASTING FRIENDSHIP WITH THE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES*
OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC NOTWITHSTANDING OUR ETHNIC, CULTURAL
AND HISTORICAL DIFFERENCES.
ONE MEDIUM FOR DOING THIS OF COURSE IS THE COMMONWEALTH OF
NAT IONS.
MOST OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS LIE " N
.2~ K N
AROUND OR IN THE INDIAN OCEAN AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC.
MY GOVERNMENT IS DETERMINED THAT AUSTRALIA SHALL PLAY A
CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN DEVELOPING REGIONAL CO-OPERATION IN ASIA
AND IN STRENGTHENING OUR TIES BILATERALLY WITH THE COUNTRIES
OF THE REGION.
WE ALSO HOPE TO PLAY A ROLE IN PROMOTING DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
MUTUALLY ADVANTAGEOUS TRADING ARRANGEMENTS AND THROUGH OUR
AID PROGRAMS.
I'VE ANNOUNCED WHILE I'VE BEEN IN SRI LANKA THAT WE ARE
MAKING A GRANT OF 30,000 TONNES OF WHEAT.
WE DON'T WISH TO BE REGARDED AS SOME TRANSPLANTED EUROPEAN
OUTPOST. RATHER WE W'ANT TO BE ACCEPTED AS A HELPFUL AND CO-OPERATIVE
MEMBER OF AN ASIAN REGION WHICH IS GROWING IN ECONOMIC
STthE,* GTH AND STABILITY.
INTERVIEWER:' WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR PRIME MINISTER
FOR THIS INTERVIE.