PM RUDD: This is the first time that we have the visit of an Iraqi Prime Minister to Australia. It is truly an historic occasion. The Prime Minister and I have had extensive discussions this morning with each other, with our senior advisers and then just now between our ministers in a meeting conducted in the Cabinet Room.
Australia's relationship with Iraq is entering into a new phase. The Prime Minister and I have agreed that it is time to build a strong relationship based on our broad commercial and economic ties and we have outlined today specific areas in which that will unfold in the future.
Australia's security relationship with Iraq will continue to remain important. We still have a small number of Australian embedded forces in Iraq. We still have Australian forces defending our embassy in Baghdad. Of course we still have our naval frigate in the Gulf. These are important, continuing contributions to the security relationship.
But today we've also agreed to open a new page in this relationship, anchored in our commercial and economic ties. And we've agreed to develop that in six specific areas.
First, agriculture. Second, resources and energy. Third, public health. Fourth, education and training. Fifth, continued cooperation in other forms of security assistance. And sixth, in trade negotiations.
In agriculture, when I visited Baghdad about 12 months ago, I had a very simple question to my friend the Iraqi Prime Minister, which was ‘how can we in Australia now help you?'
His Excellency's answer to me was very quick. He said ‘in Australia, could you train as many of our agricultural experts as possible, with expertise in particular in dry land farming?'
My response then was immediate - that in the year to follow, we would have 100 agricultural experts being trained in Australian institutes. I'm pleased to report we've exceeded that, we now have 120.
But this is simply the beginning in what we intend to build as a very big, broad and strong relationship in agriculture. Both on the research side and on the commercial side. Australia has much to offer given our vast expertise in this area. And I'm pleased to report that the Prime Minister is welcoming of my initiative for Minister Tony Burke to take an Australian delegation to Iraq later this year.
I'm pleased to note the statement made just before by the Iraqi Trade Minister that Iraq has also agreed on new wheat sales from Australia to Iraq.
Secondly, a few remarks about resources and energy.
Australia and Iraq will cooperate closely again in the training of Iraqi personnel in the oil and gas exploration industries, in partnership with our support for the large Australian resource companies in their desire for increased commercial opportunities in Iraq. We will work within both those areas to enhance our overall cooperation in resources and energy.
And finally in the area of public health, the Iraqi Prime Minister informed me today that various Australian firms have already tendered successfully for aspects of public hospital construction in Iraq. A number of other Australian firms aim to tender for further large scale teaching hospital projects in Iraq, and of course we in Australia have lent our strong support to their interest in securing this important work in building the new public health system of Iraq.
So in this new phase of our relationship, this new economic phase of our relationship, we intend together to build on these six strong pillars. And we will develop and agree on appropriate memorandums of understanding and institutional arrangements to take each of these core areas of the economic and commercial relationship forward.
And finally if I could again at a personal level welcome the Prime Minister to Canberra as he welcomed me to Baghdad only a year ago. Prime Minister, you should know that in Australia you are seriously among friends; genuine friends. The ties between our two peoples go back a long, long time. There are many Iraqi Australians and more broadly Arab Australians who make a huge contribution to our life in this country. You are a welcome guest in our country and I invite you to respond to my remarks.
PM AL-MALIKI (translation): Thank you very much and I would like to express my gratitude for the reception and the hospitality that you afford us. I bring my gratitude and the Iraqi Government's gratitude for the contribution by the Australian forces in Iraq in helping rebuild Iraq, particularly in the security sector.
I also would like to take this opportunity to thank Australia for forgiving Iraq's debts, which were accumulated due to the policies of the previous regime due to its ill-conceived adventures and wars.
My visit to Australia reflects the desire of my Government to strengthen the relations with Australia and to move forward in the new phase that Iraq has entered. The visit has been successful so far and it reflects the new phase that Australia and Iraq have entered and also reflects the stage, the new stage that Iraq looks forward to go.
The meeting that I had with the Prime Minister this morning was very constructive and it dealt with several areas of cooperation that we both look forward into capitalising on in the next few months. The Prime Minister and I and our respective Ministers have also dealt with several areas and we look forward to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding.
The Prime Minister has outlined the areas for the Memorandum of Understanding. In this Memorandum the agricultural sector is the most important. Unfortunately it has deteriorated so badly in Iraq due to the policies of the previous regime.
What we discussed was two areas. One is the training of staff and experts working in the agriculture sector, as well as inviting Australian companies to invest in the agriculture sector in Iraq.
Australian private companies and organisations have already entered the Iraqi market and they have expressed interest in the construction sector and the first result is the building of teaching hospitals in Baghdad.
Australia also has vast expertise in the energy and oil field and two big Australian companies have entered the field of developing Iraqi oilfields.
Trade is another area, and also the security sector where Australia is helping Iraq in strengthening the abilities of the police sector and in crime fighting in Iraq.
A number of Iraqi police officers have been trained in Australia and at the moment there is another contingent of Iraqi police officers receiving their training in Australia and the future is promising again for another group of police officers to come to Australia.
In response to a decision by the Prime Minister, the Australian Minister for Agriculture would visit Iraq soon to discuss matters of cooperation with his counterpart in Iraq.
At the moment our Minister of Foreign Affairs is meeting with the Australian Ministry of Energy to examine and to put the final touches for the protocol, I beg your pardon, for the Memorandum of Understanding.
This Memorandum of Understanding would be agreed upon and signed this evening. It reflects the desire of the two Governments for further development and further relations in the several areas that the Prime Minister has outlined.
PM RUDD: Ladies and gentlemen, we will take two questions from Iraqi and Australian journalists, if we could begin with this gentleman here.
JOURNALIST (TRANSLATED): Mr Prime Minister, after the support that Australia has afforded Iraq, would Australia reconsider dropping all the debts that Iraq owes Australia, in the next phase.
PM RUDD: I'm waiting for something to be lost in translation.
JOURNALIST (TRANSLATED): The United Nations Security Council is reviewing the sanctions against Iraq and will Australia be supporting Iraq in agreeing to the dropping of all the sanctions in the next phase?
PM RUDD: Our attitude to the new Government of Iraq is one of great support and our delegations are working closely together in New York on this important matter. We strongly support the interests of the Iraqi Government on this matter and we believe that we can make positive progress on it.
I think our friends in Baghdad should regard us as a very strong friend in court on this matter.
I know there will be some technical controversies concerning it but we believe this is a positive step forward and we will be working closely with our friends in Iraq in that direction.
JOURNALIST: Mr Al-Maliki, there have been 60 people killed in two mass attacks this week in the Baghdad area after a period of calm. What does that say about the Iraqi security forces' ability to protect the country once the US forces have gone? And when will the Australian security attachment be required to leave your country?
PM AL-MALIKI (TRANSLATED): That was a lapse to a good period of calm in Iraq. Nevertheless it was a regrettable event. The Iraqi police and the security authorities in the country are trying to do their best to bring the perpetrators to justice.
I must stress, notwithstanding the gruesome operations that took place and the large number of victims, Al Qaeda extremists and terrorists in Iraq have lost their capabilities of confronting and challenging the security forces in Iraq.
However, what happened was and appears to be an attempt by them to prove that they still exist in Iraq but we are intent on doing our best to secure the situation in the country.
The situation in Iraq has been positively developing, not only in the intelligence area but also in operations as well.
The situation keeps continuing and is getting better day after day and that is through the close cooperations between the people and the security forces in Iraq.
When it comes to the withdrawal of the American forces, I believe that Iraqis will be able of taking the whole situation in their hands.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd if I could get you on a few domestic issues. Can you explain why you didn't fight harder to keep in place the existing guidelines on AusAID funding for abortion and are you worried that it would put Steve Fielding offside in the Senate?
And the jobs figures have just come out, they are now 5.2 per cent. Can you comment on those? And who would you prefer to face on jobs at the next election, Peter Costello or Malcolm Turnbull?
PM RUDD: On the first matter, these are matters of conscience which are voted on conscience grounds and that was the case within our parliamentary party.
On the second matter if I could say this, any job loss in Australia is one too many as far as I am concerned. But had we waited and done nothing, instead of acting decisively, these unemployment figures would be much worse.
And on the other matter that you raise, that's entirely an internal matter for the Liberal party.
(inaudible)
Could I also as I conclude, Prime Minister, acknowledge the presence with us now of members, both Government members and opposition members of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence, who are with us today.
And they are in attendance specifically to honour your presence with us.
[ends]