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PRIME MINISTER
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
OPENING OF PEACE AND DISARMAMENT BUREAU
SYDNEY 11 DECEMBER 1987
Mick Young
Bob McMullan
Deborah Walton
We could hardly be meeting at a more appropriate or
auspicious time.
while we in Sydney are opening a Bureau to advance the work
of the Australian Labor Party in the vital field of Peace
and Disarmament, the leaders of the two superpowers are just
now finishing their meeting in Washington which has promoted
that cause at the highest level.
The point I want to make today is that these two events,
while taking place on very different levels, are
nevertheless related in a direct way.
The agreement which President Reagan and General Secretary
Gorbachev have already signed is an agreement of lasting
international significance.
It is an agreement which eliminates an entire class of
nuclear weapons from Europe and Asia.
It will result in the removal of more than 2000 intermediate
range and shorter range nuclear warheads.
It is in fact the first time that the word " elimination" has
appeared in the title of a nuclear arms-control treaty.
Previous treaties, as you know, have only reduced the rate
of growth of the nuclear arsenals.
Now the leaders are talking about further progress in the
arms control field.
They have characterised the INF Treaty as a first step.
They have talked seriously about the possibility of fifty
per cent cuts in strategic nuclear forces. 063tj
of course no one would believe the nuclear genie can be
somehow put back in the bottle from which it was released
with the first nuclear explosion in the desert of New Mexico
in July 1945.
But we are remain confident indeed, we must remain
confident that we can contain that genie and prevent it
from being used to obliterate mankind.
That is what links events at the Summit in Washington and
the opening of this Bureau in Sydney.
Because I believe the leaders of the superpowers made their
historic decision to seek nuclear weapons cuts in part
because of their awareness of the great weight of public
concern throughout the world on this grave issue.
They know that nuclear war could never be won and must never
be fought.
And that realisation has come about because of the diligent,
painstaking work by thousands of people around the world
committed to nuclear arms control.
When we came to office in 1983, we moved quickly to appoint
Australia's first Ambassador for Disarmament.
we have followed that up by using all the available world
forums to argue for a comprehensive ban on nuclear tests,
the elimination of chemical weapons and a reduction in
strategic nuclear forces.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations Committee on
Disarmament, Mr Komatina, told me earlier this year that
Australia now played a leading role for the cause of peace
and disarmament. It was his view that those causes would be
better served if other countries foll. owed Australia's
example of strong political commitment and technical
expertise. We took a leading role in creating, with our friends in the
South Pacific Forum, the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone
Treaty.
And as I told the Parliament only this week, we will have a
major role to play in the verification of the INF Treaty
through the monitoring role of the joint facilities on
Australian soil.
Australia has been in the fortunate position of being able
to speak frankly to both superpowers.
We are firmly and fully allied to the United States and have
used that close friendship to support our American friends
on the many cases where we agree with them and, on the rarer
occasions where we disagree, such as their proposed
Strategic Defence Initiative, we have put our opposition
frankl1y. OG( 7~
3.
As for the Soviet Union, it was very clear from my own
discussions last week with Mr Gorbachev that the Soviet
leadership is committed to the process of perestroika and
that this process of restructuring includes new thinking in
foreign policy.
We welcome the Soviets' involvement in the INF Treaty and we
made it clear we would welcome a constructive role for them
in our own region. But I cautioned them that we would judge
them not by their words but by their actions in for example
Kampuchea and Afghanistan.
So Australia has cause to take some pride in the role it has
played in creating a favorable environment for the current
progress we have seen.
And of course the fact that there is the hope for greater
progress makes it all the more important that we keep up
this work.
The Peace and Disarmament Bureau will have an important role
to play in our Party's work in this field.
It is a pleasure to open it today and I do so while making
one plea, which I recognise may be preaching to the
converted. In this time of great hope for further progress in arms
control, let us not underestimate the difficulty of the task
ahead. Progress in achieving further cuts in the nuclear arsenals
will be slow and incremental and will take place only by
patiently negotiated steps.
It will demand hard work and close attention to detail.
But its sometimes glacial speed must not be allowed to
overwhelm us with the paralysis of despair.
If the Bureau is able to harness people in the real work of
arms control not raising expectations, and not breeding
cynicism then it will be doing its job well. 003 088