TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH WARWICK BEUTLER, THE WORLD
TODAY, ABC RADIO, 29 MAY 1990
E 0 E PROOF ONLY
BEUTLER: Prime Minister, you've spoken to Don Grimes,
the Australian Ambassador, this morning. What's the
latest information?
PM: Warwick, there is no new information that I can give
you as a result of speaking to the Ambassador. He
confirmed what, in a sense, we already knew and assured
me that all consular assistance has been and will
continue to be provided in this matter. They assisted in
the return of Stephen Melrose' s wife and the companion of
the late Nick Spanos to London, so I assured him that
that should continue to be done. He also assured me that
the Dutch authorities were vigorously investigating the
tragedies and-
BEUTLER: Do they have any leads?
PM: Not that he was able to convey to me, but I do want
to the take the opportunity, Warwick, on your program of,
of conveying of course my deepest sympathy to the
families of Stephen Melrose and Nick Spanos. I believe
that all Australians will condemn in the, with me, in the
strongest possible terms, the, the absolutely cowardly
murders of these two young innocent Australians. The
bloody campaign by the IRA against innocent people
whether they are British citizens or not is, as far as my
Government is concerned, condemned without qualification
and you have the twisted logic used by an IRA supporter
this morning that mistakes happen in war. Well that
logic cuts no ice with me and my Government or, I
believe, with the Australian people.
BEUTLER: Well, you're obviously referring to Seamus
McGerrigan, the President of the group called the
Connolly Society in Australia, who said on AM this
morning that the deaths were the latest in a series of
tragedies and that Australians should focus on the root
cause of the problem which was the British presence in
Northern Ireland. You simply reject that do you?
PM: I reject the proposition that there is any
justification, excuse or explanation in the tragic death
of these two innocent young Australians to be derived
from that sort of twisted logic. There is nothing that
can be said in justification of what's happened, or
explanation That sort of, that sort of twisted logic
will, as I say, cut no ice with anyone in this country.
BEUTLER: But isn't he right to the extent that the
deaths won't stop until there's a solution to the problem
in Northern Ireland?
PM: Warwick, that depends upon whether the IRA is
determined that it is going at will and according to its
discretion to spray bullets around that are going to kill
innocent people. That's a, a decision which they have to
make. BEUTLER: Well, the IRA has apologised for this attack.
Does that satisfy you?
PM: It's a great comfort, as Stephen Melrose's mother
said this morning, it's too late and in that sense it's
meaningless. BEUTLER: What representations will you make or have you
made already to the British Government and the Irish
Government on this matter?
PM: I haven't made any representations to the British or
the Irish Government. The position of my Government in
regards to the situation in Northern Ireland has been
made consistently clear and, may I say, it's in line with
that of the Irish Government which has, I hear from the
media this morning, has been expressed by the, by the
Minister for the Irish Government, they have condemned,
unqualifiably, what's been done and the only way in which
there's going to be a resolution of the, of the
differences in Northern Ireland is by negotiations and
discussions. That's the view of the Irish Government,
it's the view of my Government and there can be no
0 justification, in any way, for what has happened to these
innocent young Australians. And in fact this sort of
warped logic, this is a, a mistake of war, adds insult to
a mortal injury.
BEUTLER: Mr Hawke, thanks very much.
ends