PRESS-OFFICE 10 MAY 1978
PRIME MINISTERS STATEMENT
TO TELEVISION CAMERAS
I am quite certain that all Australians will deplore the
barbaric murder of Aldo Moro, one of the most distinguished
political leaders from Italy. He has been a great leader and
his assassination, his murder, his kidnapping, comes at a-. time
when he had been seeking through the democratic process to
seek some kind of consensus within the Italian community and
nation. This is another serious attack at the heart of the democratic
process, at the heart of a democratic society-and I am quite
certain that all Australians join me in offering their sorrow
and deepest sympathy to the whole Italian people--to the Italian
nation.. The plague of terrorist activity must be opposed with all the
vigour at our command and countries in support of a peaceful
way of a democratic process need to reinforce each other in
making sure that opportunities available to: terrorists
are minimised to the maximum extent possible. There is no
excuse for this kind of action anywhere in any society. and
least of all is there any excuse in a democratic society which.
from its very nature leaves open the possibility of reform
and change through peaceful processes.
Democratic nations need to reinforce each other in opposition
to terrorism. The Australian Government's view in these
particular matters has been very firmly expressed. It was
a monstrous act, one of the worst acts that we have seen in a very
long. time, and again, on behalf of the Australian Government and
people I would like to offer the sympathy and sorroii to all
the people of Italy.
QUETIN: Prime Minister, was the Italian Government right not
toJo a Ueal with the terrorists?
PRIME MINISTER: If you had read, or if you re-read, the first
iMen-i-i U-E-ur-at Monash University when I spoke about terrorism,
you will see there that I was stating policy because we believe
that you can't compromise with terrorism. You can try and do a
deal but the end might be the same and if terrorism is to be
defeated, the terrorists need to understand that there will be
no compromise.
QUESTION: Mr. Fraser, if you had been captured in a terrible
siTtuation like that, and were sending letters to the Party, the
Government and things, would you expect the Australian nation.
through its representatives, to ignore those letters which might
have been under duress? / 2
2
PRIME MINISTER: I don't think it's a question of ignores
I 7--hin--h any nation would be doing what it possibly could to
secure the safety and freedom of a person who had been
kidnapped. That doesn't mean to say that you would compromise
other people in whatever arrangements are made. You've got
the normal processes of your security forces and your police
who would be obviously enquiring and seeking to secure the
freedom and safety of aperson in that position.
QUESTION: You wouldn't expect to buy a
p compromise for yourself?
PRIME MINISTER: For myself at the price of other people?
T T-hi-F t itwould be wrong. 000---