Subjects: Iraq; Zimbabwe.
E&OE...........
PEACOCK:
Mr Howard, I know you';ve said that your objective is peace but how prepared should Australia and the other countries involved be for war in this situation with Iraq?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think the Australian community understands that we';re involved in a serious issue. We can';t leave the problem and the challenge of Iraq with her weapons of mass destruction unaddressed. We all hope that it can be resolved without military action. We support the efforts that the Americans and the British are now undertaking to get a resolution through the Security Council. That is the right thing to do. I';m cautiously optimistic that the requisite support can be garnered.
PEACOCK:
How tough would it be this resolution?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it has to be tough. There';s no point in having a wishy-washy United Nations resolution. That will solve nothing. And we all know and it';s been borne out by the dossier released by the British government yesterday that Iraq has treated with impunity previous resolutions of the United Nations and we are playing with a deadly serious challenge and you simply can';t afford to settle for a weak, pusillanimous resolution.
PEACOCK:
So when you say tough I mean it would have time lines and it would have an obvious consequence if Saddam Hussein doesn';t cooperate?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I prefer to use the generic expression – tough and effective. There';s a lot of discussion going on in New York at the moment and I don';t know that it really serves any purpose for me to go beyond saying that it needs to be tough and it needs to be effective.
PEACOCK:
If the war drums are beating as they seem to be, and certainly America';s made that very clear, how concerned are you about the words of the former head of the SAS in Australia that we';re perilously under-prepared?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don';t accept that Australia, and I';m talking generically here, I';m not talking in relation to any possible action involving Iraq, I don';t accept that. But people are entitled to their views and I always respect the views of serving and former Australian military officers.
PEACOCK:
He';d be in a position to know though wouldn';t he Prime Minister, and he';s saying that Australian lives have been put at risk?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don';t know think anybody can suggest that in the time that I';ve been Prime Minister Australian lives have been recklessly put at risk by any actions that my government has taken and that will continue to be the case in the future. There is nothing more important to me than the safety and the wellbeing of the men and women of the ADF if regrettably they are involved in any kind of military action.
PEACOCK:
But that';s actually not just been suggested, it';s been stated by the former head of the SAS.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I can';t say any more than what I';ve just said.
PEACOCK:
So he';s wrong?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don';t accept his analysis.
PEACOCK:
Why do you think he';s said it?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don';t know. Ask him.
PEACOCK:
What about the Defence Department generally? He';s blamed the civilian heads of the Defence Department. Are you pleased to see the current one leaving?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I want to thank Alan Hawke for the work that he';s done as head of the Defence Department, and also previously as head of the Department of Transport and Regional Services. I think Ric Smith will be an excellent replacement. Alan Hawke';s contract was up.
PEACOCK:
Did he do a good job?
PRIME MINISTER:
I want to thank him for what he';s done.
PEACOCK:
Was it a good job but?
PRIME MINISTER:
He worked very hard.
PEACOCK:
Was he loyal?
PRIME MINISTER:
Of course he was. He';s a fine loyal officer.
PEACOCK:
Mr Howard, on Zimbabwe, the EU, the United States – the largest economies in the world – have imposed smart sanctions. Why shouldn';t Australia join them?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we may well do that. We';ll have a look at that when I get back to Australia and I';m very disappointed at the unwillingness of the other two members of the Troika to face the reality that Zimbabwe has treated the democratic principles of the Commonwealth with impunity and I';ll continue to argue within the forums of the Commonwealth that we have to do more particularly in relation to Zimbabwe';s status as a member of the Commonwealth. If the Commonwealth means anything it';s a body that';s dedicated to democratic principles and it was Commonwealth pressure and a Commonwealth commitment to democracy that brought Zimbabwe into being. If it hadn';t have been for the Commonwealth there may well have been no Zimbabwe. So I think it';s ironic that a nation that was produced by those great democratic principles of the Commonwealth should have treated them with such impunity.
PEACOCK:
Prime Minister thanks for joining us.
PRIME MINISTER:
Pleasure.