PM Transcripts

PRESS OFFICE TRANSCRIPT 2 ERAY17
MR. HAYDEN INTERVIEWED ON INDO-CHINA SITUATION
FROM ABC'S 7: 00 PM TELEVISION NEWS
Mr. Hayden:
It's quite clear that there has been a marked deterioration
in the situation there. There are chilling prospects if
this escalation were to get out of hand. I won't qo into
the details unless you want me to. But Australians don't
have to be alarmed in terms of them being directly implicated
but we do have to be concerned because we do have
responsibilities as part of the world brotherhood of mankind.
Question: Is the Government taking the right approach, in your view?
Mr. Hayden:
As far as I can judge, they are doing as much they can.
Mr. Peacock is putting Australia's view wherever he can
and trying to use whatever influence he has available. I regret
that we haven't played a more positive and constructive
role through Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam, because
if we had, we would have more clout in this situation. But I
don't want to exaqgerate that just as I don't want to
under-estimate the sort of influence we can exert in this
sort of situation.
Question: You said in Parliament that Australia didn't appear to be
carrying out an even-handed policy towards Vietnam and
China. Could you expand on that?
Mr. Hayden:
What I was pointinq out there was that in the initial
comments made by the Prime Minister on this unfortunate
conflict, it was reported in the newspapers that he was
very heavily favouring China and almost exclusively blaminq
Vietnam for the conflict. Now, I don't think it's as
simple as that. I don't think it is as simple as that.
I don't take sides one way or the other. There is no
room for barricking in this it's too serious. I've tried
to sort it out and both sides are makinq claims and
counter-claims. What we've got to recognise is that Vietnam
shouldn't be in Kampuchea and China shouldn't be in Vietnam;
they are both wrong according to international law. We need.
to, as much as we can, resolve this. 000---22 FEBRUARY 1979