PRESS OFFICE TRANSCRIPT 10 MAY 1979
PRIME MINISTER: RETURN DINNER FOR PRESIDENT MARCOS
MIA NIL A
Prime Minister
Tonight is nearing the end of a very friendly and a very happy
visit to Manila. I would like to thank you again, Mr. President,,
for the great warmth of hospitality that has been shown to me
and my party, my colleague Mr. Garland, while we have been here
over the last two or three days.
This has now developed into a very great city, one of the great
cities of the world and it must surely have the greatest
conference theatre anywhere in the world, I certainly haven't seen
such a magnificent auditorium. All. this indicates great
foresight, great initiative of those who have been responsible
for the development of this city. I am sure that if there were
only time I would see the same marked development and improvement
throughout the Philippines.
Mr. President, I know that the last few days have surely been
very busy ones for you. When a Head of Government comes to
Australia I worry about his programme and is he going to be
happy, are the talks going to be constructive and is everything
being done properly. But you haven't had just one Head of
Government, you have two Prime Ministers in the city at this
moment and you have one of the great United Nations Conferences
throughout the whole month. I am well aware of the demands that must
be placed on your time and on Madame Marcos' time, and all the
more reason therefore for thanking you for the invitation to be
here on a State Visit during this particular, very busy week.
Manila has certainly become the centre of much world attention
over the last few days and throughout the UNCTAD Conference.
We have spoken of the Common Fund and significant progress has
been made in that. I have said in other forums that much of what
has been achieved is because of the foresight that you have shown,,
Mr. President, in the origins of the scheme for the Common Fund.
Agreement on main principles and on many details has now been
reached. As I indicated yesterday, it remains to work out the
indicated programmes to make sure we don't sit still, 3 that we
a~-e not complacent, we are not content with what has been
a~ chieved. We need that drive forward to achieve more, to advance,
toY build-on what we have done and n-ot regres . s and become content
because there is so much yet that remains to be done.
Mr. President, in the bilateral discussions that we have had,
I believe the more than two hours of talks yesterday morning
xiere amongst the most constructive that I have ever been involved in.
14t~ covered a very wide range of topics and the communique which
w~ ill be issued tomorrow will ' icate some part of that. But the
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communique can' t indicate the frank, the plain way that we
were able to converse and to exchange views on ma ' ny matters of
great importance to your country, Mr. President and to mine
and indeed to ASEAN and the whole South East Asian region.
I think the way we were able to talk on the wider international
issues and at the samne time on bilateral matters, was a mark
of understanding between us a mark of the respect certainly
which I hold for you and for the Philippines and recognition
also that all our fates in this part of the world are bound
very closely together. What happens in the countries of ASEAN
very greatly affects Australia and what we all want peace,
security, time to build up the living standards of the peoples
of the region, is something which is dear to the hearts of all
of us and we all want to achieve.
The talks were a mark, I believe,, of the kind of exchange that
can only occur between friends and neighbours and I thank
you, Mr. President, for the quality of those talks. I believe
they do establish, have established, a basis for a new period
in the development of relations between the Philippines and
Australia. I think tomorrow the decisions we have made, that the
announcement of one or two matters that have been set aside in
the past years, but now we are going to consumate. In a small
ceremony tomorrow, we will seal the basis of that and enable us
to build on the relationship between your country, Mr. President,
and mine. 000---