PM Transcripts

52
9-
PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING MP
DOORSTOP AT FAIRBAIRN ON DEPARTURE FOR JAKARTA
SUNDAY 13 NOVEMBER 1994
PMV: This is, I think, an historic opportunity for the region, this meeting of
APEC. It represents half the world's production and half the world's
population the whole of the Pacific rim and it has never been
organised before with anything like a free trade agenda. So, with this
adoption of these objectives APEC would become an institutional ised
force for freer trade in the area. And upon the adoption of these
proposals it would give Australia a seat at the largest table it has ever
sat at because we have never been part of any area dedicated to free
trade, we have always been on our own. So, that is what we are
hoping from this meeting, that President Soeharto's draft declaration
will be adopted and then in subsequent meetings we can get on to
working out how and when we put these things into effect.
J: ( inaudible Optimistic?)
PMV: Well I think so. I think there are very good feelings about it. You can't
hope to span an area like the United States, Japan, China, South East
Asia, and have everyone agreeing to every dot point. But I think most
people take the view that they have got to give something to get
something and that there is a greater good to be served here, so I am
reasonably optimistic about it.
J: ( inaudible what will it mean to Australia?)
PMV: It will mean multiples of what the Uruguay Round meant for us, and I
gave some of the figures on Friday.
J: Mr Downer faces an important party room meeting on Tuesday how
much longer do you think he'll last?
PMV: Well I hope the Liberals don't do anything rash while I am away. I
always like to be in town when they get up to their tricks. And I want to
concentrate on the events at hand in Bogor, in Indonesia. So they
should think of the country and not provide any distractions.
ends