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28 March 197 TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIE MINISTER
THE BON. JOHN HOWARD MY
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW, KRANJI CEMETERY, SINGAPORE
E OE.
JRNLST: Your thoughts on tbis place, Prime Minister?
PRIME MIISTER: t
It's always very moving to visit an Australian war cemetery because this is within
viewing distance of the events, or the place where the events occurred that led to the
fall of Singapore which was such-at enormous psychological, as well as military
turning point in World War 2 and it is always important for Australians to remember
the tremendous sacrifice. They were all so young, is the thing that always affects me
when I visit a war cemetery, their ages, the late teens and early 20s in most cases and
one is reminded of the terrible waste of war.
JRNLST: You're of to China now. What are you hoping to achieve there?
PRIME MINSTER;
Well I hope to further build on what is already a good relationship. I believe that
Australia and China have a lot in common for the fttue. We are obviously different
societies and the= is no point in pretending otherwise but providing the relationship is
built on mutual selfrespect and on an undurstanding that different societies can
nonethelcss have complementary future goals We bave a good economic relationship
with China We have a lot to offr. Australia Ls a riable supplierofraw matmials.
Ther are a lot of Australian compnies that have established joint vertumca in China.
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senior men and women from Australian businesses are travelling with me so that's
a token of the private sector's commitment to the Australian/ Chinese relationship
JRNLST: Prime Minister, on the human rights issue, how prepared are you to be pragmatic on
the point of...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think one has to be sensible. It's never possible to say, and I won't, that human
rights issues won't come up in a bilateral relationship. On the other hand my style
and my view is that one should use the methods of quiet discussion and dialogue.
One shouldn't be overly hectoring or moralising. On the other hand, Australia has
values within its own society that are very important to us and we of course don't take
any backward steps in relation to the defence of those values within our own society.
But one has to in all of these things have a mixture of pragmatism and idealism. The
important thing in a relationship of this nature is to focus on those things that we have
in common rather than allowing those thig? which may be a point of discord to
contaminate the relationship.
JRNLST: Prime Minister, what is your Government going to do with the Russian aircraft with
military equipment now stranded near Katherine?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the Defence Minister can probably talk to you in more detail about that, suffice it
to say that after some discussion with the PNG Government and others, arangements
were made for the aircraft to fly to the Northern Tcrritory and for the equipment to be
unloaded. I think the details of what follows from that is really something that Mr
McLachlan can fill you in on.
JRNLST: Does it surprise you though, that this had happened? What was your reaction to
hearing this great, big cargo load of...
PRIME INISTER:
No it didn't surprise me that it ended up in the Northern Territory, no.
JRNLST: Prime Minister, it's been reported that the Australian Government has decided to
maintain Radio Australia as an English language speaking service only. What
message does that send into the region 3..
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PRIMR INISTER:
I don't really watit to comment on thaL I have now been out of the counuy for a
couple of days and it does relate very much to a domestic budget issue, although it
does have overeas or international connotations. I think probably the preponlderance
of it is a domestic budget issuec and therefore I won't talk about it.
JRNLST: What message in Beijing will you be sending regarding Australia's security trcaty
with the Unite States?
PPXME MINISTER:
Well it's a security treaty born~ e out of an independent judgemnet by Australia that it
it in Austraija's best interest to have such a security alliance with the United States. It
is not directed at China. It is not directed at anybody. It goes back a long way. The
United States and Australia go back a very long way and no nation should see the
security treaty between our country and this United States as being directed at it. We
made an independent hard headed assessment of our own interests as we should
always do with these things and we decided that we would have a security treaty with
the United States in 195 1, only two years after the changes in China Ther was to
relationship between the two. -It was forged in different circumstances and I will be
mnaking it clear as the issue arises to the Chjnexe Govcrnmnt that the alliance
between us and the Americans is not directed at them1it is the result of a bard headed
Australian assessment of Australian national intersts.
Prime Minister, with this hurnan rights issue, will it undermine your aspirations to
play a regional role in Asia?
PRIME MISTER:
No. 3VB4LST: Prime Minister, whats your reaction to the appointment of a cartaker Prime Minister
in Papua New Guinea?
PRIM MONSTMR
Well my view is tha if the constitutional processe of Papua New Guinea arc
observed and mntanined,, which they appear to have been, that is a very positive step.
It's not for me to give a running comnmitry on AWh sbould be in char in Papu
New Guinea. RA= he, it is for me to speak of those thing in which Awbtalia has a
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Iegitimate interest, such as the previous pos ' sibility of the introduction of mercenaries
and also to observe in general term how iniportant it is that the democratic process be
observed. Papua New Guinea is a young country. It's only had independenco fbr 22
yewrs and it's dne very well to preserve demnocracy amd I think all of us in Austalia
should have an understanding of the difficulties of preserving that systera of
goverrnent against a lot of regional pressures, a lot of fragmentary pressures so I
think it's important that we respc what has been achieved axnd I will continue to
monitor the situation and follow it extremely closely but it's a little unclear at the
moment altho ugh it would appear as though a caretaker Prime Minister is emerging.
XRNLST: Mrt Howard, Prime Minister Goh especially wants Australia to play a bigger role in
the security and defence of this region. How do you see your role irt the region?
PFRIME MINISTER:
Well we alrcady play a major role. We have a five power defence anrgement which
of course involves Singapore and Malaysia and New Zealand and the United
Kingdom. We of course have some close arrangeruents involving the training of the
Singaporean defence personnel. We have a very big commnitmont to APEC which
will, over time, provide greater economnic security for the region and of course out of
economic security grows political security. The two are always linked and political
instability is often the product of economic, denial and economic impoverishment so to
the extent that we are participating with Singapore and other friendly nations in the
area, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, we are building a far more secure and amicable;
part of the world and I am very wall pleased with the relations between Au~ stralia and
Singapore. We have a good open, confident, respectful relationship. Singaporeani
people are very welcome in Australia and I am very pleased that the Singaporean
Prime Minister has said that he will visit Australia soon and I look forward to
welcoming himn and he will ccrtainly be welcomed as the Prime Mini= te of a very
close ncighbour and a very fiendly ally.
Thank you.
ends
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