JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, did the Americans ask for an explanation as to what Alexander Downer meant that Australia wouldn't necessarily come to the U.S aid?
PRIME MINISTER:
Certainly not. The Americans have made no contact with us. This is all completely hypothetical. We are a very close ally of the United States and a faithful ANZUS partner. We also of course have a very important and close relationship with China and we make no apology for that, we support the One China policy. Our aim is to keep good relations with both and our aim and our policy is to make sure that tension between America and China and Taiwan is kept as low as possible and in fact relations between America and China now are better than they have been for some time. So we are in the business of keeping both of those friendships in excellent condition.
JOURNALIST:
So we'd never have to make a choice?
PRIME MINISTER:
Of course not. The aim of the policy is to remove choice, the aim of the policy is to be friendly with both and we are and we will remain so.
JOURNALIST:
What's your reading of ANZUS if China were...
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I'm not going to get into a political science lecture, I'm simply stating what our policy is, our policy is to be friendly with both, we obviously have a different relationship because of the different history. But my commitment as Prime Minister to the relationship between Australia and China is very intense and everybody knows that I am very committed to the American alliance.
JOURNALIST:
Did Alexander Downer misstate that policy?
PRIME MINISTER:
No he didn't.
JOURNALIST:
A number of academics have regarded the ANZUS treaty as requiring a procedure (inaudible) - do agree with those...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I am not an academic, I'm a Prime Minister.
JOURNALIST:
As Prime Minister what's your...?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well my role as Prime Minister is to have a policy where we have close relations with both countries.
JOURNALIST:
Will Mr Downer remain Foreign Affairs Minister under a future Howard Government?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes. He has been an excellent Foreign Affairs Minister. I have no more dependable, able colleague than Alexander Downer.
JOURNALIST:
But he has stumbled, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
No he hasn't, no. He hasn't.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think his overseas trip has been as successful as you would have liked?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes it has, it's a difficult country to deal with, North Korea, and the important thing is that he was able to go there as Foreign Minister because this country, ahead of many other countries, re-established relations with North Korea and I think he's done a really first class job. Not only on this, but more generally as Foreign Minister.
JOURNALIST:
People have accused him of cherry picking the ANZUS treaty through his statements, have people just misinterpreted what he said?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
Can you explain what you mean when you said South Australia was an interesting place?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well some suggest it has the best wines in Australia and...
JOURNALIST:
Politically - why is it interesting?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, politically... because of the number of marginal seats. A large number of a relatively small number of seats are all marginal. You don't have as many as you do in other states that are heavily weighted on one side.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think politically those marginals here will be an easier task for the Coalition to retain than perhaps the marginals are in east?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, they're all hard.
JOURNALIST:
Has you seen any internal polling in the Adelaide electorate?
PRIME MINISTER:
I never talk about internal polling. It's a contradiction in terms to talk about private polling.
Thank you.
[ends]