PRIM AUTAIAISTE
FOR MEDIA 21 FEBRUARY-1982
ELECTORATE TALK
HMAS Tobruk, the Royal Australian Navy's supply ship, left
last week for the Middle East with the eight Australian
helicopters;, and other equipment for Australia's contingent
in the Sinai Peacekeeping Force. The troops of our main
contingent,. numbering in all about 120 men, will fly out
later, in time to establish themselves at their posts by
March. But their big starting day will be 25 April.
That is the date laid down in the Treaty of Peace between
Israel and Egypt when the Israelis will withdraw their military
and civil personnel from the remaining parts of Egypt's
Sinai territory which they occupied during the 1967 Middle
East War. That date will mark the end of a whole era in the
tragedy of the Middle East conflict.
Australia's participation in the Peacekeeping Force means the
association of our country with a new chapter. This new
chapter is one which could not have come into prospect without
the courage and determination of the leaders of Egypt and
Israel to achieve the peace which now exists between them.
The Peacekeeping Force is there because these two countries,
which were at war, want it to be there to guarantee peace.
The Peacekeeping Force will underpin the achievement of peace
within one major area of a region which has been the most
unstable in the world since the Second World War. The
hatred, suspicion and bitterness which have arisen from the
special circumstances of that region led to four wars in
the space of one generation. These wars have threatened
world peace. We know that any future war in that part of
the world will seriously Jeopardise the fragile stability
overseas which is so precious to Australians. The vital
interests of too many important countries are caught up in.
Middle East affairs for another outbreak of war there to
leave Australia unscathed. No one can be certain about
peace anywhere. Peace requires strenuous efforts if it is
to be maintained. It requires constant vigilance, constant
awareness, but above all a preparedness to make sacrifices.
We are prEpared to make such sacrifices.
Peace will. fail by default if all nations wanting peace leave:
the actual. pursuit of it to others. It has never been part
of the Australian tradition to let this happen. In the Middle
East alrea~ dy Australia has contributed to a number of
peacekeeping operations. We have contributed men to the United
Nations truce supervisory organisation, and men and helicoptErs
to the United Nations Emergency Force in another part of the Sinai.
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We have contributed police to the-United Nations force in
Cyprus and Australian defence force personnel to the United
Nations military observer group in India and Pakistan.
The United Nations has a record in these peacekeeping operations
of which it can be proud. We would have preferred that the
Sinai Peacekeeping Force be a further part of that record.
But faced with a Soviet veto of a United Nations mandate for
the Peacekeeping Force faced with a choice between a.
force which -could be set up outside the United Nations umbrella
and no force at all, we were not prepared to let the Soviet
Union achieve its obstructionist objective in the search for
a Middle East peace. There is no reason why the United Nations
should not at some time in the future extend its mandate to
include this peacekeeping activity. Nor is there any reason,
of course, why the United Nations must always be associated
with successful international efforts to mediate in situations
of conflict and maintain the peace.
One of the most successful episodes in recent years in resolving
conflict and. hostility between nations was the Commonwealth
contribution. to the implementation of the Lancaster House
Agreement by which Zimbabwe attained its independence. Austra] lia
was a key participant in the negotiations leading to the
Agreement. We were one of the principal contributors to the
military force ensuring that the ceasef ire led to a stable
political settlement. We are also going to play a role, under
Commonwealth auspices, in the training of the Ugandan army
to help the government of Uganda overcome the disintegration
of that country after the years of Idi Amin's destructive rule..
When the Government took its decision last October to participate
in the SinaiL Peacekeeping Force, we did so on the condition
that there would be significant European participation. We
were not then certain that there would be wide-ranging
international participation, but we felt that a country like
Australia had a unique contribution to make in starting the
ball rolling. Our decision has indeed been vindicated.
Last October, among the major countries, only the United States
had committed itself to participate in the Force. Since
Australia took its decision Britain, France, The Netherlands
and Italy, -as well as New Zealand, have joined the Force.
These later decisions have been most gratifying to the Government
and in retospect we can see our decision as being a catalyst
to the events which have subsequently taken place.
There again, when we took our decision in principle last year,
fears were to be heard about the reactions of the Arab states.
which, objecting for their own reasons to the Egypt/ Israel
peace treaty, were thought to be poised to retaliate against
Australian interests if we decided to join the Peacekeeping
Force. In the event there has been no adverse reaction, no
threats to embassies, no measures taken against our trade, no
interdiction of movement by Australians in Arab countries. / 3
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What seems to have happened is that these other countries have
had a higher regard for the achievements that Egypt has been
able to make both in regaining its territory and in establishing
the basis for peace with Israel than had the critics of the
time. Moreover, even though these countries do not themselves
support the Camp David Accords, they understand very clearly
Australia is seeking to advance the cause of peace in the
Middle East.
No one can doubt that the return of the Sinai to Egypt is
but one part. of the complex of problems which any comprehensive
and lasting peace in the Middle East must solve. A solution
to the Palestinian issue is clearly central to the future
stability and peace of the Middle East. Our troops will not
be involved with the issues making up the dispute between
Israel and the Arab countries over the Palestinians' rights.
But in our participation we are concerned that our contribution
should have the maximum positive influence in continuing
and broadening the peace process in the Middle East.
The withdrawal of Israel from the Sinai, if it can be achieved
successfully, will be a large contribution to confidence among
the disputants. Such confidence is a vital ingredient of the
new chapter which will open in the Middle East after 25 April.
Australia will be looking to all the parties to the dispute
as well as the United States to ensure effective progress
in these otlher vital areas.