b TRANSCRIPT OF STATEMENT FOLLOWING TALKS WITH PRESIDENT MUBARAK
KUBBEH PALACE, CAIRO 2 FEBRUARY 1987
E 0 E PROOF ONLY
PM: I have had the' opportunity-of having-an extremely
7 i nteresting._ discuss! on. wi rth ePresident.; And he has been
generous enough to share with-me-his-views-about-the-processes,
as he sees them, that will need to be involved in securing a
resolution of the Israeli-Arab dispute. He also talked about
other areas of conflict and problems in the region most
particularly the Iraq-Iran war and the situation in Lebanon. I
found myself in a very considerable degree of identity of opinion
with the President and I am convinced, as I was in Jordan and
Israel, that here in Egypt there is a total commitment to trying
to accelerate the processes of peace so that out of those
processes peace in the region can be obtained and not merely a
peace which will be formal but one from which can grow greater
degrees of co-operation which will ensure that the economic and
social interests-of people -i-n-the-region can be advanced. As far
as relations between Egypt and Australia are concerned we talked
of a number of matters of mutual concern. I repeated to the
President my interest in trying to ensure that there would be an
increase in the economic and cultural and social relationships
between us and the President agreed with me in this respect.
Finally, I am very pleased to say that I issued an invitation to
President Mubarak to visit Australia and he has graciously
accepted that invitation. And it will be a matter now for
discussion at official level to when he will be able to take up
that invitation.
JOURNALIST: Mr Prime Minister, concerning the Palestinian issue
do you support an independent Palestinian State?
PM: What the position of Australia is on that, as I have said
before and I will repeat again here, is that we believe that an
essential element of the resolution the Israeli-Arab dispute is a
resolution of the Palestinian problem. We recognise the rights
of the Palestinians to self-determination and we have said
including the right if they were to so decide an independent
state. All the discussions that I have had in the region,
including the discussions I have had here, the discussions today,
show me that that is not looked upon as the most likely or the
most appropriate outcome; that it would be neither politically or
economically viable as it's put and that the most likely and most
appropriate outcome of those processes, discussion and
self-determination would involve the confederation of the
Palestinian people with the State of Jordan.
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JOURNALIST: inaudible question
PM: No, what has happened is that gratification has been
expressed for our interest and for the information that I have
been able to convey form Jordan to Israel, Israel to here. And I
have simply said as I have said from the outset if there is any
way however small in which we can be of assistance then we are
prepared to be. And that has been ' welcomed but there are no
specific projects which are on the plate.
JOURNALIST: Jordan, Israel and Egypt are you now convinced
tha~ Tttere is a wil ingness b~ eqeiVffThe two parties t-if6dd a
international conference on the Middle East?
PM: Let's pick up the elements obviously Jordan and Egypt-are at
one on wantingA!; qhold an international conference. _ But let's
make it clear that they are at one also-in their perception onthe
role of that conference. Neither Jordan nor Egypt sees the
international conference as being the medium for settling the
dispute. They see it as providing a framework within which the
necessary negotiations would take place between the parties. And
that's a common position between Jordan and Egypt. And as far as
Israel is concerned you know that Mr Peres negotiated a position
with President Mubarak at Alexandria. He adheres to that
position. And there is, as you know, some apparent disagreement
which has been made public between Mr Peres and the Prime
Minister but as far as Mr Peres, who negotiated that
understanding with Egypt, is concerned he is clearly adhering to
it.-So when-you take all-those--fa-ctors in-account there-is
very considerable degree of common ground in the region on this
issue.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, what have you got out of this trip?
PM: What ha-ve I got-out of it? -i h-ave got the unique___
opportunity and privilege of having being given from Jordan and
Israel and Egypt the most comprehensive exposition of their
thinking, of their exponation of the issues that are involved and
how they see the possible processes working to bring about a
resolution of the Israeli-Arab dispute. I think I am fairly
uniquely placed now in having been given that opportunity I
appreciate it very much. It certainly means that Australia and
the Australian Government is better informed on this issue.
Because we have the confidence of the states immediately
concerned I think we will now continue to be kept informed and as
I say without any exaggeration of our position it will be the
case that if there is any suggestion made to us as to the ways in
which we maybe able to be of some assistance than we are
certainly now much better placed to do that.
JOURNALIST: Can we say that you are very'near to acknowledging
PLO officially now?
PM: It is not a question of being close to acknowledging PLO
officially now. Let me just take a couple of minutes on that.
The position of the Australian Government, and I think
overwhelmingly the Australian people, is that we would not
officially recognise the PLO-while they don't-recognise-the-right
3
of Israel to exist. We have said that we see the capacity of the
PLO to have an important role in the processes of resolving
important issues in this region, that their capacity to exercise
that role will be a function of their readiness to recognise
Israel. And I have said before, those travelling with me have
heard it before, I don't want to take a great deal of time in
putting the point again, but very simply I have expressed the
view that I think the reality is that the PLO now does accept
that Israel exists. Obviously and further than that, that they
accept that Israel is going to continue to exist. I think that
is the reality Unfortunately, the formal expression from the
PLO doesn't match that reality. On the part of Israel, equally,
I think they understand that there is a representative capacity
in--the PLO-and -so--what -seems-to -me to be the-desirable thi-ng,-
both for the PLO, fbr Israel; the-Palestinian people, the states
i-n-the-region,--is.-that--those-realities that I referred to should
be reflected in formal statements. And as far as we are
concerned if the PLO is to adopt the position of saying ' yes we
accept 242, 338 the right of Israel to exist, the repudiation
of terror'. If the PLO says those things than you will have no
trouble as far as Australia is concerned and more importantly
there will also in those circumstances be an obligation on Israel
to accept the PLO as part of the negotiating processes.
ends