TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH HEATHER EWART FOR AM,
0 P O F O L
THE PRIME MINISTER, . R HAWKE, IS ON THE LAST STOPOVER IN HIS
S . IDDLE EAST TRIP. HE ARRIVED IN CAIRO EARLIER THIS MORNING. LATER
S TUDAY HE'LL 9EGIN TALKS WITH SENIOR GOVERNt. ENT PEOPLE FROM" OUR
S 2IGGEST TRADE CUSTOMER IN THE REGION, INCLUDING OF COURSE THE
EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT, HOSNI MUBARAK. MR HAWKE'S HARKED SHIFT I. M
PERSONAL THINKINiG, TO THE POIN. T WHERE HE TOLD-HIS ISRAELIHOSTS. LAST
WEEK THAT THEY SHOULD RECOGNISE THE PLO AND PARTICIPATE IN ANi
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE INCLUDING RUSSIA, WILL NO DOUBT WE WELCO; iED
S It; CAIRO. BUT WHY THIS DRAMATIC CHANGE IN MR HAWKE'S THI'IKING. JUST
I BEFORE THE PRIME MINISTER 30BOARDED HIS PLANE IN GENEVA OVERNIGHT OUR
REPORTER TRAVELLING WITH HIS ENTOURAGE, HEATHER EWART, EXPLORED THE
RAPID CHANGE OF EMPHASIS WITH HIM.
' IR HrAUKE: NOW ISRAEL'S POSITION, MILITARILY AND POLITICALLY, HAS
PROBABLY NEVER BEEN MORE SECURE. SO NOW TH5. ISRAELIS HAVE A
DIFFERENT SET OF PROBLEMS. WHERE THEIR MIND WAS CONCENTRATED THEN,
UNDERSTANDABLY, ON THE QUESTIONS OF VIABILITY, OF REMAINING SECURE,
NOW THEY HAVE TO FACE THE QUESTIONS OF WHAT DO THEY DO WITHIN THIS
MILITARILY AND POLITICALLY MORE SECURE POSITION OT MAKE THE
ADJUSTMENT, MAKE THE DECISIONS, WHICH ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE MOST
PRODUCTIVE FUTURE. ONE OF THOSE QUESTIONS THAT THEY HAVE TO LOOK AT
IS THE DEMOGRAPHY OF THEIR SITUATION. WHILE THEY RETAIN THE OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES AND WITH THE SUBSTANTIAL OVER-POPULATION WITHIN ISRAEL
PROPER WHILE THAT GOES ON, LOOKING AT A POSITION WHEREBY AT THE END
OF THE CENTURY THEY COULD BE A MINORITY IN THEIR OWN LAND, AND THAT
OF COURSE IS SOMETHING WHICH UNDERSTANDABLY CONCERNS ThEM. SO IT'S
THESE SORTS OF ISSUES NOW WHICH ARE MORE. IN THEIR MINDS, THAT'S IN AN
ESSENTIAL SENSE WHY I SAY I SEE A DIFFERENT, A DIFFERENTLY CO"; CERN0ED
ISRAEL.
* UESTION: YOU STUCK VERY FIR14LY TO THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S
EVEN-HANDED POLICY ON THIS TRIP. THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT 114 YOUR
PERSONAL ATTITUDE. HOW MUCH HAS THIS TRIP CONTRIBUTED TO THAT?
MRQ HAWKE: I THINK YOU ALWAYS LEARN, I MEAN A PERSON IS SILLY IF YOU
DON'T LEARN FROM EVERY EXPERIENCE. AND ALL THAT'S HAPPENED ON THIS
VISIT IS THROUGH VISITING JORDAN ANJD THE OPPORTUNITY OF TALKING WITH
THiE FOUR PALESTINIANS IN JERUSALEM, AND IN TALKING WITH SO MANY
ISRAELIS THEMSELVES, I ' VE HAD CONFIRMED THE IMPRESSION THAT I ' VE
AO) A-A-Y-S--W--O-i4AT--A--R-E-S-OLUT-I ON-, OF-THE---PALE-S-T-I N IAN-P-ROBLE-M
ESSEN~ TIAL PART OF THE RESOLUTIONI OF THE ISRAELI-ARAB PROBLEM.
~ ESTIN:~ 1THTYOU HAVE _ qAINEO AN EVEN BETTER UNDERSTANDING THAT
YOU SAY YOU HAVE REACHED ON THIS IF YOU PERHAPS HAD VISITED REFUGEE
CAMPS ON THE WEST BANK AND IN THE ' GAZA STRIP.
! lq HAWKE: I'VE ALREADY DONJE IT. WHEN I WENT IN ' 73 AND ' 80 CRO1WN
P'I4CE HASSAN, A BROTHER OF KING HUSSEIN, TOOK INTO THE REFUGEE
C 1%: I MSP.
':-UESTION: BUT WHAT ABOUT AS PRIME MINISTER, GIVEN THAT YOU SAY THAT
T; 4INGS ARE DIFFEREN4T NOW?
~ HAlwKE: I WAS AWARE OF THE POLSOFTEPALESTINIANS. tHA T
YOU'VE GOT TO REMEMBER IS THAT PRIOR TO 1967 IT WAS Il-I THE HA! 0S OF
THE ARAB STATES. ONE OF THE TRAGIC FEATURES OF THE WHtOLE POST-* AAR
SITUATION HAS BEEN THAT THE ARAB STATES HAVEN'T GIVEN THE ASSISTANJCE
TO THE PALESTINIANS THAT THEY WERE CAPABLE OF GIVING.
QUESTION: YOU'VE STRESSED THROUGHOUT THIS TRIP THAT YOU ARE NOT -EERE
TO -MEDIATE, BUT IF ASKED AUSTRALIA WOULD OF COURSE PLAY WHATEVER ROLE
IT COULD. DO YOU GET THE FEELING AT ALL THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO
PLAY A ROLE, AND, IF SO, WHAT SORT OF ROLE WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY?
' IR HIAWKE: I DON' T WANT TO PLAY ANY ROLE OTHER THAN TO DO ANYTHING
THE PARTIES PRINCIPAL M'AY ASK OF ' IE AND AUSTRALIA TO Do. I DIDN'T
THERE, AND NOW GO TO EGYPT AND COME AWAY FROM THE MIDDLE EAST SAYINGP
I'lI WANT A ROLE, HERE'S WHAT I CAN I HAVE ALREADY DONE
SOMETHNG IN4 A SM1ALL WAY IN4 CONVEYING FROM THE KING, THE PRIME
MINISTER OF JOQDA: 4, TO THE ISRAELI GOVER'JMENT THE STREuGTH OF THEIR
VIEwlS, THE NATUPE OF VIEWS, THE COM4PREHENSIVENESS OF THEIR VIEWS. I
WILL IJE TAKING FROM ISRAEL TO PRESIDENt MUBARAK TH4E STATEMENT THAT
I'VE BEE3 ASKED TO TAKE ABOUT THE COMMIITM4ENT OF ISRAEL TO * WAflTIl! G TO
DEVELOP CONSTRUCTIVE ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION BETWAEENJ ISRAE-L. AND EGYPT.
I CERTAINLY WILL BE MORE THAN'. HAPPY, AS REQUESTED BY THE GO'JEQ'! rENT
OF ISPAEL, ' TO MAKE REPRESEUTATIO14S TO THE SOVIET GOVERNMENT ABOUT THE
lUESTIOtj OF SOVIET JEWRY. THESE THINGS I'LL DO. IF THERE'S ANYTOING
THAT PRESIDENT MUBARAK WAPITS N. E TO CONVEY OR TO DO, I'LL BE HAPPY TO'
DO IT. SO THAT'S THE ) 4AY I LOOK AT MlY ROLE.
THE PRIME M'INISTER, MR HAWKE, INl GENEVA BEFORE HE FLEW DOWN TO. CAIRO
SPEAKING WITH OUR POLITICAL REPORTER HEATRtER EWART.
ENDS 3,
3 V* K:.
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