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TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P. J. KEATING MP
DOORSTOP, OMNI SAIGON HOTEL, HO CHI MINH CITY, 12 APRIL 1994
E& OE PROOF COPY
J: Prime Minister, Dr Hewson in Australia has said that it is another
mistake in relation to the so-called apology, what would you say to Dr
Hewson?
PM: If there are any apologies to be made the Liberal party should make it
to the 504 Australian families who lost sons in Vietnam in a war they
should never have made a commitment to and I would -have thought
the Liberal party would have been the last organisation in Australia to
be talking about the war in Vietnam. I thought they would just go away
and hide.
J: Why is that?
PM: Because of the unprincipled nature of their commitment. The same
kind of reasons why they are making the same utterance today for
unprincipled political reasons, domestic political reasons. That is why
the commitment was made in tifirst place.
J: By the same token wouldn't it make sense in terms of trying to achieve
final reconciliation of opposing views in Australia which have been reopened
by events of the past few days to make some kind of gesture
on the ground here?
PM: I made it at the appropriate place which was the one cemetery that I
was able to visit in this area which was Kanchanaburi.
J: But there is a memorial at Long Tan?
PM: 1 have said enough about it and I don't want to go on about it. K2
J: Can I ask you, In relation to the discussions you had with the
Vietnamese President Le Duc Anh, what was the message you were
seeking to get across in relation to about acknowledging the
difficulties the Vietnamese face which is being interpreted in some
areas as being some sort of apology for the war?
PM: There was no apology. I notice the beat up by that in The Australian
this morning, that was a complete fabrication without foundation. I
sought here to establish further Australia economically and
strategically with the two fastest growing countr! ies in the region
Thailand and Vietnam I think, those interests have been advanced.
The kind of relationship which I have been able to develop with
Indonesia in the last few years, I think, I have seen more than the
beginnings of In the relationship with Vietnam and with Thailand. That
is, coming to understand better and, I think, in both these countries we
found genuine enthusiasm for the role Australia has been playing in
Asia. Whether it be APEC or Cambodia or the strategic dialogue or
the post ASEAN Ministerial Forum the ASEAN strategic regional
discussion of which we are full members and Vietnam is now a
member that Australia's role in the region is very well appreciated.
J: Can I clarify what you meant though when you said Australia had met
its responsibility to Vietnam.
PM: I'm not even sure the word ' responsibilities' was used. What I made
clear was that Australia would do that which it could sensibly do to
help build the Vietnamese economy and that is with the aid program, in
education, in health, in writing bodies of commercial law which they
don't have. All these things will be about the more rapid development
of the Vietnamese economy.
J: When the question of human rights came up with the Parliamentary
delegation, how did the Vietnamese respond?
PM: Prime Minister Kiet gave me a commitment in Canberra that there
would be an exchange of delegations to look at the relationships
between our two countries including human rights. He has honoured
that commitment and the resultant consultative delegation, I think, will
be very useful in establishing the relationships between our two
countries in these areas. That is, in all areas including human rights.
J: Would you be distressed if that delegation were not able to consider
individual cases, merely to consult?
PM: I am not here to be making judgements about something which might
or might not happen in the future. The thing was they have recognised
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that was an issue between us and they have put an instrument in place
to discuss it within. But again, I think, this relationship is going to be
one of many struts, of many piers and they will include economic
development, trade, investment, strategic interests and an interest in
the development of the whole Asia Pacific area.
J In terms of economic development of Vietnam, what was the main
message that you wanted to get across to the Vietnamese in the way
in which they went ahead into the future?
PM: Just that they should think about the region in terms of structures, that
Is, they should see where the developments are coming, what the
strategic influences are going to be. They, I think, will be important on
them, how the strategic and the commercial are intertwined, how they
should try and set their economy up, what things they might do first,
which things are best pursued by government, which things are best
pursued by the private sector, these sorts of things.
J: And in that transition from the command to a market economy which
are things you think they ought to be doing that'-should be left to the
private sector not the..
PM: I think the Government should principally invest in human capital.
They should invest in the creativity of their kids, through their
education system because if they get those levels of education and
creativity up they will find the opportunities and they will make the
pace. I said to the Government, to Prime Minister Kiet, and I also
made the same point in Laos that many things in the public
infrastructure can be provided privately and there is not a real lot of
point for a Government with scarce resources providing funds for
things like telephones or certain reticular roads.
J: ( inaudible)
PM: I think so, because I think they understand that with scarce resources
It is basically the investments ought best be made in the areas of
social development, human development like education, like health.
J: What point do you want to make to the Secretary-General this
afternoon?
PM: Where Australia stands, how we see the area basically better viewed
as a Asia-Pacific rather than simply as Asia; that there is an important
role for the United States in the area, particularly in relation to Japan
bringing a high degree of strategic certainty and peace to the area, at
any rate the trading links are trans-pacific and that they should be
thinking in terms of arrangements which allow them to freely
participate in multi-lateral trade, through the GAITT, but also things
which build on the GATT that allows them a greater level of
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participation more rapidly and that those structures are the ones.
Now, whether that means extending the ASEAN Free Trade Area or
pushing along the agenda for APEC, these are the sort of structures
which are..
J: So you will be urging him to take a less hard lin~ e, a more tolerant line?
PM: I don't think one has to urge that at all, I think, that has already been
taken. It is a matter of trying to inform some of the views from our
perspective.
ends