PRIMINEI STE
FOR MEDIA 2 JUNE 1989
I will visit France, the United Kingdom, the United States,
the Federal Republic of Germany and Hungary from 16 June to
3 July.
The visit has been carefully targeted to advance Australia's
political and economic interests. I will, for instance, be
visiting four of the G7 members just a matter of weeks
before their annual Summit and three of the leading members
of the EC in the context of the proposed European Single
Market in 1992. In each of the countries being visited I
will be advancing specific Australian interests in areas
covering multilateral and bilateral trade, the environment,
including matters related to the Antarctic, and disarmament
chemical weapons in particular.
Senior Australian business leaders will be involved in my
visits to Paris, London, Bonn and Budapest. A Trade and
Investment Conference to be held in conjunction with my
visit to London will bring together over 200 senior business
people to strengthen and expand commercial ties between
Australia and the United Kingdom.
The visit to France will allow me to renew contact with
President Mitterrand and to establish closer dialogue with
the Rocard Government. I will visit the Australian
exhibition at the Paris Air Show and the village of
Villers-Bretonneux in north-west France, where thousands of
Australian soldiers died during World War I. I will also
take part in matters relating to Australia's contribution to
the celebration of the Bicentenary of the French Revolution.
My visit to the United Kingdom will return Mrs Thatcher's
visit to Australia last year. Our wide ranging discussions
will encompass East/ West relations and the forthcoming
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
At Mrs Thatcher's suggestion, I will be accompanied by
Senator Button, Senator Evans and Mr Beazley, who will
participate in elements of my program. Senator Button will
co-chair the Trade and Investment Conference and Senator
Evans will address it.
While in the United Kingdom I will have discussions with
Her majesty, The Queen.
I have been invited to Washington by President Bush for an
official visit. In addition to extensive discussions with
President Bush himself, I will be meeting with senior
members of his Administration and Congressional leaders. An
extensive agenda of issues will cover bilateral, regional
and global, political and economic developments.
My visit to the Federal Republic of Germany will be my first
as Prime Minister. The FRG does, of course, have a key role
in East/ West relations, in international economic matters
and in the establishment of the Single European Market in
1992. I am looking forward to discussing these and other
significant issues with Chancellor Kohl, who visited
Australia last year.
My visit to Hungary comes at an important time of political
and economic reform in that country. Those reforms open up
the prospect of further significant changes in East/ West
relations. I look forward to discussing with Prime Minister
Nemeth these and other issues related to a strengthening of
the bilateral relationship.
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