PROME MIN\ OSTELR
E. O. E. PROOF ONLY
TRANSCRIPT OF TV INTERVIEWSPRIENTAL HOTEL, BANGKOK, 21 NOVEMBER 1983
JOURNALIST: What happened, Prime Minister?
PM: Well, we had a most useful discussion where we had, I believe,
an identity of views and complete understanding, I believe, on
the part of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of
Thailand about Australia's position.
JOURNALIST: I was just going to say, what did General Prem
say specifically about ASEAN?
PM: Well, we indicated our basic agreement with the thrust
oT the view of Thailand and ASEAN in regard to the position of
Kampuchea and there was, as I say, an acceptance and understanding
by General Prem and Foreign Minister Siddhi of the identity
between us on the fundamental position. You will recall what I
said before I left Australia, that I was quite relaxed about
this issue, that I thought there had been an over-statement in
some quarters and the extraordinarily cordial meeting that we've
had with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister here has
totally confirmed my expectations.
JOURNALIST: Sir, was there any discussion whatsoever about some
fomof peacekeeping mission, be it..
PM: No, it did not arise. We are to have a working lunch with
Foreign Minister Siddhi. It is conceivable that it may be
raised there. It was not raised in the discussion this morning.
JOURNALIST: Does this mean the row with ASEAN is all over?
PM: Well, I have not taken the view that there is a row with
AiSEAN, and I have certainly not taken the view that there has been
row with Thailand. In my view, and that has been confirmed, I
would feel confident, as I've said all along that the substantially
sound relationship that exists between Australia and ASEAN will
not only be confirmed, but will be strengthened. / 2
US AL
A T I A
JOURNALIST: Do you expect now that ASEAN will resume its
dialogue with Australia?
PM: I've had no doubt that the dialogue will be resumed.
JOURNALIST: On the issue of Kampuchea, then Prime Minister,
is it us agreeing to disagree but respecting our points of
view? PM: It's not a question of agreeing to disagree. There is
fundamental agreement about the major thrust. That is the
necessity for the withdrawal of the Vietnamese forces, the
creation of the condition where there can be an expression of
the free will of the people of Kampuchea and the emergence out
of that situation where you a re not going to have the
possiblity of the imposition of the Po1 Pot forces, where
Kampuchea can be an independent country and where you can have
resettlement of the refugees from that country. Those are the
elements upon which we basically agreed. In respect to our
attitude towards the Po1 Pot element of the coalition group,
there has been an understanding by the Prime Minister and the
Foreign Minister of our view. INdeed, they share our repugnance
of the Pol Pot forces.
JOURNALIST: Do you get the impression that our ASEAN neighbours
still -thintkh at we're bending over backwards to help Vietnam?
PM: No, on the contrary. There was no suggestion of that from
the Prime Minister or the Foreign Minister. No suggestion at
all. There was a complete understanding of our attitude. I
don't think that that sort Of vie! w is in fact a realistic
representation of the understanding that exisits of Australia's
basic commitment to the general thrust of the ASEAN countries
view on Kampuchea.
JOURNALIST: So do you think the attitude of the Thai Government
reflects the attitude of ASEAN as a whole, or have you still
got a fight on your hands with Mr. Lee Kuan Yew?
PM: Oh, I don't think I've got a fight on my hands with Mr. Lee
iRi-an Yew. I'm looking forward to meeting him in Delhi. I
intend to have cordial and straightforward discussions with
him. I would imagine that is his intention. I simply come
back to the point that there has been an overblowing in some
quarters of a difference in emphasis. I have been relaxed about
this from the beginning. I remain relaxed totally about it.
The fundamentally sound relations between Australia and ASEAN
will, I repeat, not only be maintained, they will be strengthened
under my Government.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, in light of the fact that you've
signalled a degree of acceptance of the Malaysian initiative,
some form of force to fill the vacuum of Vietnam after the
Vietnamese go, certainly in light of the fact that Australia has
a dialogue with Hanoi as many countries in the region don't,
is there now a role for Australia as a mediator? / 3
PM: I reject the phrase mediator, a ' s Mr. Hayden and I have
1-om the beginning. We don't think that that is the right
expression. NOw, going back to the first part of your
question, that is about a Malaysian proposal, that is
hypothetical. The first stages have got to be the dialogue
which can produce the basic requirement. That is the
withdrawal of the Vietnamese forces. That is what to
concentrate on, trying to achieve that situation. Now, if
we move from the hypothesis that is contained in the Malaysian
proposal to the-position where there is going to be the
withdrawal, then we can address ourselves to that. We will
do that. It hasn't been raised in the discussions here so
far. It may be later on with the Foreign Minister. There is
no point in proceeding any further with that except to make
it clear they did from the very beginning that we are not
talking about Australian troops in any belligerent sense.
The propcsition could conceivably be, if the preconditions were
met of withdrawal, of some form of Australian involvement in
helping to ensure the emergence of what is the end objective
t at is the free expression of the will of the Kampuchean
people. JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, over recent weeks you have gone
out of your way to exercise the fact that you and Mr. Hyaden
have been at one over this entire issue, does he also agree
that it is a good idea to send a peacekeeping force to Cambodia?
PM: Well, you're trying to get to Itp, o sition which doesn't
exist. That is that the agreemer-z*-etween Mr. Hayden and myself
of a hypothetical response to a hypothetical situation and you
are not taking it any further thar that. What we are both
committed to now is the immediate -ealities.. I mean, there has
been an enormous tendency on the of you people with
re: 6pect, to try and go down tracks which are just not there,
are not realistic, and to talk about a possible hypothetical
situation and then try and get involved in that. what we do
is to deal with the current realities that is discussion with
ASEAN about the immediate situation. That is what I have been
engaged in with the Prime Minister of Thailand and his Foreign
Minister. That is what we are going to continue to do while we
are here.