PRIME MIISTER
SPEECH 13Y TUE PRIME MIMSIER. MHE HON P J XEATING. M P
ISIGNINJG CER~ EMONY
NAURU, 10 AUGUST, 193
E& OI, PROOF COPY
Your Extcellency, the President of Nauru, other distiiauished Nauruant guests, and
ladkio and sentlemen.
I am vceiy please that President Dowayogo and I have been able to tign today theft
three inter-related agr" eemnt whtich makce up the Compact of Settlement betwccnt
Australia and Nauru.
hoe are solemnn and binding comnitments, and I think it is lWr to say they define a
now phaic of coopardou between Australia and Nauru.
The terms of x-tticniciii were made public yesterday and I am heai tened that the
Compact of Settlemnent Wa becen warmly ueleonad int both countries. That 13 what the
President reliably tells Me, ajnd I am sure that is true in Australia as well.
There is a wide recoontion in 1501,1 countries that AuStraia and Nauru arc lungstanding
fdends arnd partners. Theiic is reief, I think. that an issue which has divided
us has been resolved, well I think both amicably and reaRsonably, and honourably, to the
satisfaction of both partes.
Timw reaction of ourirners in the South Pacils; Fonrm was also positive, and a
number of members of the Forum I re-came up to both Of wtq crtainly to mysclf,
saying thial they were pleAscd to see that countric3 within the Forum could resolve
diffcrcricci, dad that paritilArly some of the larger doinor countries who have
boncfited from t rade and commerce with the area could also make such ant
arrangement. I iihink This wax very comforting to them,
They wclvomc the diemonstraion thAt Australia and Naur. u are able to work together
to settle our differvacczi awd solve prohiems as neighbours and friendzi, making the
obvious point that such pi " esses should al1so be able to take place btworn ourselvest
and themselves.
This is called, of course in this part of the world, the Pacific way, and if this is the
Pacific way obviously it works.
On the Australian side negotiatiorns were C. onducted by my colleague, Gordon Bilney,
the Minister for Developmnt, Cooperation and Pacific island Affairs, and I should like
to note publicly my appreciation of the skill and care with which he has handled this
sensitive task.
The Foreigni Minister Wad to him, how come you can do this, Gordon, when I wasn't
able to? And a lot of the rest of us knew the answer but I won't ( inaudible).
At any rate this is a feather in Gordon's cap, and I am sure that the relationship he has
developed with the people of Nawsu will be one of long-standing, one which there is, I
am sure, repect on both sides which will now obtain for many yearm and in this
important post, particularly in the Pacific Island Affairs this is, I think, a very solid
tbundation for Gordon reprsemin$ the Government to have in its relations with
Nauu Mr President, the agreements we have signed today not only record an amicable out of
court settlemntd of the IC) case, they also set out a frame work for the future conduct
of Australian-Nauru relations.
r
The joint declaration of principles coven3 a large number of field where Australia and
Nauru are already oooperating, and where we lave scope to develop fRther our
partnership. All these fields are significant, but there is one I should particularly underline, at
paragraph 20 in the document it says this. " Both Governments recognise both the
challenge presented by rehabilitating the worked out phosphate lands on Nauru and the
fragility of Nauru's ecosystems, and will work together to facilitate the progressive
rehabilitation of Nauru and the protection of NaWUs environment."
This is an important commitment and one which the Australian side takes very
seiously. and already the President and I had some substantial discussions a day ago
about how and which ways that might be addressed and progressed.
So we should like to see the proposed rehabilitation and development cooperation
4reement contribute in a real way to the process of rehabilitation on Nauru, where the
' people of the country feel they have a very tangible stake in this settlemnent, and where
there are tangible and obvious benefits for them.
I
so, Mr President, I anm pleased to have the opportunity to visit Nauru and attend the
South Pacific Forum. Could I take the opportunity of congratulating you and the
Government for hosting the Forum and for the way in which it has been organised. It
is a diffcult thing to host a Forum like this, for any country, particularly when you are
not doing it often, and to do it so well, and of course chairing the proceedings as you
have done today with great aplomb and dexterity and smoothness, I think attest to the
decision which was taken a year or so ago for Namu to be the host.
I am especially happy that during this visit it has provided an historic opportunity to
sign this historic Compact Of Settlement, as well as attend the Summit, Can I say I
was also very pleased to lay a wreath on the Cenotaph yesterday in remembrance of
the sacrifice which Australians and Nauruans had made together as long ago as the
Second World War, again underpinning and underlining the strength and depth of the
Australia-Nauru relationship.
As I said, our relationship is unique and it is one to which we acre committed on a long.
term basis and I hope that this historic settlement, the statement of principles, which
for the first time Austrai has written down a set of principles which will govern the
relationship that it has with another country, and the general warmth of the relationship
between Australians and Nauruans on this occasion at this signing and at this point of
the Forum of your host, your hosting of the Forum, this should be I think, let's may, a
milestone, another mnilestone, in Australian-Nauru relations.
So could I again congratulate the President on agreeing to this settlemet, and again
congratulate Gordon Bilney on negotiating for the Australian side. But more
particularly, on behalf of the Nauruan people for a stake in their fuzture development
and rehabilitation, which I think this agreement does and in so doing underlining this
partnership with Australi.
Thank you.