TRANSCRIPT OF NEWS CONFERE4CZ, BLAIR HOUSE, WASHINGTON#
OWlE l9S9
Z A 13-PROOF ONLY
PM4: Well I would like to say at the outset how indebted to
President Bush. He's made so much of his time available
today at Camp David and then on the golf course. obviously
we covered a great range of subjects, I think we spent more
time talking on China than any other single issue. i am
p leased to say that the position of the President and myself
is at one. That is that of course firstl. y, we totally
tnnfldAn 4hp h,. rhn'rtsm that has been exhibited by tho Chincoa
leadership in the putting down of peaceful protests in their
country and the continued persecution of those who've been
involved with peaceful demonstrations. At the same time we
recognise that it is the interests of China that the
processes of economic reform should continue and therefore
there is as T said before and the President agrees with me
-that there's a fine line has to be walked between
continuing our condemnation of what has happened and trying
to ensure that the West maintains a capacity to assist the
processes of economic reform. We are agreed that that is
precisely what needs to be done. We of course have the
advantage of each of us having a particular knowledge and
personal involvement with China the President from his time
as Ambassador there and I of course in the lengthy
discussion. I've had over many year. with the Chinese
leadership and from our shared perspective* I think it-is-,
important for Australia and the United States and the West
generally, that we have this Identity of view a view which
I may say is basically also being shared with me by the
leadership in Prance and in Great Britain.
other topics that we covered in our discussions were my
regional initiatives with regard to the Asia Pacific region
and I think I can say that there is a general support for our
approach and I hope that together we will be able to advancethis
initiative. Of course we are conscious of the need toensure
that there is full support from the ASEAN group of
countries. I thinkl tpqether we will be able, 2 hupzu, tu Ie
that support so that by the end of the year we will be abyi.
to have the ministerial meeting at which I have been aiming*
We had discussions also about the general quOstion of East-
West relations and in particular the initiatives that the
President has recently taken In the area of disarmament talks
in the NATO context, I indicated the support Which I have
given to that initiative and it is part of the wider
constructive approach of the United States Administration in
which President Bush has in his own-way and put his own stamp
upon it now, continued the initiatives and approaches of his
predecessor, President Reagan. I indicated to him that in
these initiatives he has the full support of the Australian
Covowrnment and wo Iaupe to see a continuation of those
initiatives in the particular areas that they had raised in
regard to conventional forces in Europe and also, of course,
in the STARTr negotiations.
I also discussed with the President the question of a
Chemical weapons Convention because It is well known~ that the
tDbosiieat has a J . jaaL-ruwtG in tflis matter. He
raised the issue during his campaign. He is aware of and
appreciates the degree of support which my Government has
provided in this area generally and in particular on the
conference that we will be hosting in Australia later this
year in which Government and industry will be meeting to
discuss the ways ina which together we can wurk towards the
achiAvement of a relevant Convention.
I also of course took the opportunity of talking with the
President about our concerns in the area of agriculture and
we had a very useful discussion about that, which of course
is not yet completed. It will be the subject of talks that
1' l11 have tomorrow and further talks on Tuesday with the
President and also think there will be the opportunity of
dincussing this issue with Mtembers of Congress in the next
couple of days.
I ale* talked with the President in regard to the Antarctic
issues-and as we have known from the beginning, there has
been no doubt that the United States seeing as it signed
the Convention last, year has a particular view about it.
The President was interested to hear our position. I
indicated that I would be outlining our views through my
address to the Press Club tomorrow and he understands this
and believes that while there are the differences that we
xnown between us, it in an area that we should continue to
have discussi~ ons on over the weeks and the months * head, and
we will do that*'
There are some other matters obviously that we talked about
but in terms of major issess of substance those are the oese
that took up most of our time, that is when we weren't
together playing a very congenial game of golf.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister you appear-to have been..
PM: well I'm glad you noticed that. It is the case that if
you look at the whole of this trip we've had remarkable
ac. ean In France to the Prime Minister there, the President,
znle roreign minister, ano ot course we couLa not nave tiaa
greater access in the United Kingdom that we had there. Now
this is our third stop and again, we are having remarkable
acess to the leadership of the United States. My modesty
doesn't permit me from saying that this has something to do
with the personal relationships that I've been able to
estabIsh now over six years as Prime minister and
particularly in the case of my very good friend# George Bush.
Our relationship goes back over the whole of that period of
time. in his capacity as Vice President r got to know him
very well, we formed a very firm friendship, there was mutual
respect between us established, and in the case of Hazel a&
well. With Hazel and Barbara I think it is a very warm,
personal rehlaLlu:, uhijj Lhat, we have iviLh ULe Durdi'm and I'm
very uppreciative of the way in which quite obviously the
President has made the decision that he would make not only a
great deal of his own time available to me In the very
congenial atmosphere of Camp David, as well an on the golf
course, and again of course on Tuesday when I meet with him
them in the formal visit sessions and when he gives the
dinner on Tuesday night. it is indeed a remarkable access,
I0m terribly grateful to him for it. It not only reflects
the personal relationsnips zhaz j.' ve developed, buz also x
think it reflects a judgement by the Bush Administration an
in the case of the predecessor, Reagan Administration, that
tho Hawke Government is one under which as they have said on
the public record and privately, that the relations between
AtiatrAlib and the United States have never been an a firmer.
sounder, more constructive basis than they are now. We have
worked at that because we believe that the alliance
relationship between our two countries remains of
foundational importance. I believe that we have a situation
where that friendship based upon shared commitments to the
same ideals has the flexibility, springing from the fact that
we recognise one anothers integrity so that where we do have
difference. we arm able to put them straight forwardly on the
basis of a strong friendship. That has meant that this
demonstration -an with the Reagan Administration respects
our positions, the strength of our commitment to shared
ideals, the way in which we in our region work to discharge
the obligations that we have and in all relevant bilateral
and multilateral forma, have ~ wod over the at imix yoara
to advance shared cause.
( PM cont) So what we are witnessing on this visit is the
outcome of all those things I believe.
JOURALISTs Inaudible
PM: I very clearly can't go into all the details of that but
I think I do know in justice to my friend George Bush and the
confidentiality of our discussions, if I say that we both
recognise that if there were to be further moves particularly
against student leaders, there is at this point have not been
significantly involved in the executions that have been
pursued that he has basically what people that were
, A, vulved In the train incident in Shanghai and leaoers.
But if there were to be significant moves against the student
leaders then obviously there would have to be an appraisal by
us of just where we went. What we both feel very strongly is
that we need in our respective ways to make it clear to the
Ciite e leuadurship that not only Is that sort of action
morally unacceptable, but that it is profoundly against the
SInterests ot a cnlina teat woulo wish to continue with the
processes of economi reform and opening up to the rest of
the world, It's very interesting to note that in the meeting
which concluded yesterday of the which was a continuation
of the CusiLral Cummittee and of the Politburo, that in
the btaLumentu that came out of that, they indicated that
proposals that they had and the second one was the intention
to keep going the momentum of economic reform and opening up
to the outside world. Now both the President and I agree
that if they are going to be able to do those things and it
is in the interests of China and the rest of the world as
they should then they will make that the more difficult it
they were in fact to proceed down the path of further
executions.
JOURMALUST; M PLim MLtaULUL Uould you mum Ui whAtL you maid
before we arrived please?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, very well, I can say that we covered a
range of subjects, the issue on which we spent most time was
China, and I've indicated It in regard to that area of
dinvussion, Lhat the rresident and A shared banically rho sme
perspective, and that is firstly that the condemnation by our
countries in the West of what they have done barbarically to
s * urems dissent is unacceptable, that we should, within that
framework however, try to ensure that the processes of economic
reform and opening up to the rest of the world are able to
continue. We recognise that will involve the walking of, an I put
it, a tine line, but we do believe from a few perspectives that
we have, and let me say, as I indicated that both the President
and I have as fairly detailed and intimate knowledge of china, he
from his period there as Ambassador, and I from long periods of
detailed discussion in China and Australia with leaders of China,
and Exam that diffoxunt, but aharod porapou tivu wo onjoy, wo aro
at one essentially on this issue. I referred to the fact also
that we talked about my regional initiative and I talked about
that both with the President and to a limited extent Secretary of
State. Dakeri and there is a-fundamental support-for the-concept
that I: have advanced and I believe that together we will attempt
to bring about a situation where we will be able to have the
ministerial meeting before the end of this year which ha been
hope that I have expressed now for some time.
Z aluo covered the subject of the Antarctic and there the
President acknowledged our position as being different from
LhlwJ.. TL was a vuay tiundly discussion and he acknuwledged
that I would be putting our position while here, and while we
did have a different perspective one of which we've of course
known from the outset, certainly given the fact that they'd
signed the convention of lact year we will oonider to discuss
this issue to try to get outcomes which, as far as possible meet
the shared basic objectives that we have. Also I discussed with
him the question of the chemical weapons uonvention where it is
acknowledged that the President has a personal interest in this
issue and we of course have taken considerable initiative in this
area, including the holding of a conference later this year in
Australia and at Government and industry level. And it's our hope
I can say that there will be moves towards the establishment of a
oomprahonoivo chemical woaponc convention.
We talked about also the question of agricultural policies here
and the President acknowledged oux posiLion and expressed the
hope that I would be putting our position quite clearly in both
talks with the administration and anyone from the Congress that
we would be meeting. I indicated we would do that. It is our hope
our shared hope that in this matter that where we do have
some differences, that there is no way that we will allow that to
disrupt our relationship because our shared commitments on such a
wide range of other issues are such that we would not allow that
to happen. We do have equally shared commitments to try to ensure
that the processes of the multilateral trade neqotiations shall
go forward with a shared objective of trying to reach a position
by the end of that round at the end of 1990 and where there will
( PM cont) be a commitment to the elimination of the processes of
subsidization which have distorted international trade and
agriculture. Those are major issues.
JOURNALIST: Did the President put any particular view about how
the regional initiative might evolve?
PM: Well we've had some discussion and I don't want to go into
detail as some of it is appropriate for further discussion
between us. But I think they really axe at one with us and there
will Vv the upju& tuuaity 4. advawgi thi, at. 1| aSw IMIB Miaaiai a. l
Council Meeting, where they of course will be represented, and of
course we will. We will develop the idea further but we share the
view that it does seem appropriate to aim for a ministerial
meeting at the end of this year, and we will need to œ uzmulato in
the period up ' til then the issues that we want to be dealt with
by tho ministerial mooting. Thoy will be ioeau of tho
composition of the group, the sorts of areas we want to be dealt
with in a continuing sort of forum, and of course we agree that
they are basically economic and trading issues because we are not
looking at the establishment of some political grouping because
essentially that function within the region is covered by ASEAN
and the ABRAM post-ministerial council moting. so we are waiting
a decision...
JOURWALISTs Would we be hosting this ministerial meeting in
hustraliat
PM Well that's to be decided. But I can say in the very
extensive discussions that have been led on our part by Dick
Woolcott the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade who has
gone round to all these countries now, there does seem to be a
view on the part of all the people that we've spoken to that
Australia will probably host it. What we've said is well look,
we're not saying it's got to be Australia, our concern is that
the concept be developed. Of course if they would like us to host
it and it seems to me to be a case that they would, then of
course we are more than happy to do it.
JOURNALISTi Do you have any fears that the Americans might gazump
your idea and make it one of their own?
PM Not at all.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you know what level the American
participation will be
P14: Have what meeting?
JOURNALIST; The ministerial meeting.
PM: Well it would be the equivalent of Ministers. I mean they
would have to have a number of members of the administration
whose interest would be involved in such a meeting and that would
be for them to decide. obviously, if the meeting goes ahead and I
hope it will, represented by the appropriate members of the
administration. JOURNALIST: What do Americans particularly find attractive about
the initiative?
PM: Well simply that what I have done is to really process an
idea that had been in a sense expoused by some people that
Without ever doing anything about it that is that there is
recognition that here we have the most dynamic growth region of
the world the Asia-Placific region, and that quite clearly there
can be advantages for members of that region if there is a
Freater degree of understanding of the development within the
individual economies of that region, the examination of the
opportunities advancing the complimentarities of those economies,
how we can togeither examine issues of trade and to be a further
force for a liberalised international trading system, and thatrather
than just having same ad hoc meeting to consider these
issues, that there is some virtue in looking, not at the creation
of some massive institution,, but there seems to be a view that itwould
make sense to have at least some small institution coming
out of those meetings that we are talking about, which would
facilitate the on going consideration of those issues to which I
have referred.
JOURNALIST: ack on China, can you confirm that you and Mr Bush
did discuss escalating action against the Chinese 2
PM: Look# we didn't say if they continue how will we escalate
action, itus putting the wrong emphasiz. What we have said iae I
repeat, so that you get the context of it right. At one in total
Condemnation of what's happened. At one in saying that it would
be against the interests of the people of china, the region and
of the world, however the aftermath of what happened that the
world close down on China because if its driven in on itself,
that will mean these things:
That the processes of repression are more likely to continue;
That the ability for economic reform would be very much more
restricted because of the involvement of the rest of the world in
those processes of reforms which is essential really if it's
going to go ahead and we share the view that it in the more
likely that political reform will come out of a situation where
economic reform's going ahead. So what we were really saying was
now no, if that doesn't happen, and there is an escalation of
violence and executions what do we then do because it is our hope
as a result of adopting the sort of attitudes that we've talked
about that those things won't happen because there will be a
realisation on the part of the Chinese authorities that if they
go that far then we would have no alternative other then to take
a more economically aggressive attitude.
But we are hopeful that if that sort of situation arose, as we
indicated to one another in our discussions, if the optimism that
we share turns out not to be well founded, then in those
circumstances we will have to talk together and with others about
what the course of action will be.
JOUMALIST: What grounds for optimism does the new leadership
give you?
P11: Well I wasn just sayi ng earlier, I don't know whether you were
here, that in the statement that came out of the meeting that
vent on from the 19th to the 21st the Central Committee Meeting
and then they went to the Politburo -meeting, and out of those
meetings there Came a statement which included, an one of the
propositions, the view that economic reform should continue, and
the opening of the outside world as part of the economic reform
should continue. so it is in that sense hopeful that they will
understand the chances wad the opportunities of that occurring
are diminished if they are going to pursue an unacceptable line
of action in regard to professional executions.
JOURNALIST: on the Antarctic, is it the American position that
they don't want to permanently close off their options for
mining? And if that in 80 Xnaudible
PM: Don't put this an though there's some surprise that what
we're finding out about the American position. When we took our
position in Cabinet we were totally aware, totally aware, because
they'd signed it, the Convention, at the end of last year. Nfow
there Is no doubt that we knew exactly what the American position
was. There is some impression that Lt was just found out with a
degree of surprise that American position. But we took our
position with full knowledge of what the American position was.
What I'm saying to you is that in signing that Convention the
view of the Americans was that it provided a framework obviously
within which they thought mining could go ahead in acceptable
fashion. N~ ow our position made quite clear as I will be saying
tomorrow# that we think mining should not go ahead. We don't
think it is appropriate to have as an instrument for stopping
mining a mining convention. So there's nothing new that suddenly
emerged in this issue. All that we are doing now is that we have
the opportunity of explaining our position to our friends here in
0 the United States and as the President said to me today; I hope
that you will, and let's discuss it But there is no indication
from him that they are going to change it their position. But
it's a relationship of intelligent friendship that if we have a
difference, let's talk it over.
JOURNALIST: I thought you said earlier that you shared the same
objectives. PMz What we do is share as we do with France, and as we do I
think with the United Kingdom, that this pristine environment,
this vast wilderness of the world, should be protected that
action should be taken to protect it. Now the position, the
assumption of our friends here and in a number of other countries
is that it can be done, that in the framework of the convention.
Our view is that you can't say we share the objective of trying
to protect that area as the Americans and our other friends think
it can be done by a convention. We don't share that view.
JOURNALIST: Do you believe that the big oil spills here in the
last few days might add to public opinion?
PM: It may do. We certainly know that the Exxon Valdes tragedy
has moved to accelerate public opinion not only in this country
but in other part. of the world. The dangers that can occur in
these sorts of.-environments flowing from the spills, and I would
think also from the exploratory activities I think that sort
of incident must add to the opinion. To what extent it will in
this country and elsewhere, I just can't say, but it must have
some impact I would think.
JOURALI 1 r. you going soft on criticism of American
agricultural policies?
PM, No, I'm not going soft on it. What I am saying, as I said
before I left Australia# before I got on the aircraft, I said I
am not going to allow the issue and I never intended that I
would allow our differences on this issue to mar the
relationship between our two countries. It is far too important
to be marred by this issue, and some go back over a long period
of time. There have been those who have advanced the view that we
should put the Joint facilities on the tible. I have said at all
points that is not an acceptable approach. An far as I am
concerned, as my government is concerned, the things that we are
united upon, the things in respect to which we act together on
such a broad range of issues, whether you look at the actual
alliance relationship or if you look at the way we pursue the
issues between East and West, and you look at the chemical
Weapons convention whatever in a range of issues you want to
look at, in all of them we have so many shared positions, which
are important for our people, to their people and for the rest of
S the world. It would be an act of irresponsibility to allow this
issue to disrupt that relationship. That doesn't mean that I
won't be putting our positions strongly. You will see in the
speech that I make tomorrow at the Press Club that I will be
putting our position quite strongly and we will continue, and the
President understands this. We will continue to do that.
JOURNALISTt One question about the new American Ambassador to
Australia, Mel Sembler. Are you happy with his qualifications?
NM Yes I am. I had the opportunity of meeting Mr Sembler at
dinner last night with the Vice-President. it was the first
opportunity I have had to meet him and his wife. I was very
favourably impressed by him. He seem to me a very intelligent
person. He is without doubt a person who has taken great pains in
recent weeks to acquaint himself with Australia, Australian
issues and issues between our two countries. He also, from our
point of view, has the very great advantage of access to and
close friendship with the President. I think it's impossible to
0 overstate the importance of that fact in the Ambassadorship.
JOURNALIST: Mr Duffy made a new strong attack on the SEP
yesterday. Do you share his attitude inaudible... and did he
check with you before making the statement?
PM No, he didn't check with me. We have had discussions before I
left Australia generally. But I don't sit down and tell each of
my Ministers how they will express themselves. I have not done
that for six years and I do not intend to do it now. But I will
be putting the position here to the President and to the relevant
Administration officials. I think the total of representation
that I make that Mr Duf fy makes in his environment, and that
Senator Evans will make in his, that John Kerin will make in his
that there will be no doubt at all in the minds of our American
friend. that we feel strongly about this issue, and the important
thing that I will be stressing is that what we have got to do in
this period between now and the end of 1990, where because of the
level of wheat stocks and wheat prices, that in that period we
are not going to suffer as we have in earlier periods, that we
should use our very best endeavors together in the Multilateral
Trade Negotiation round to achieve the position where in that
framework, subsidisation of agriculture and distorting export
subsidies are going to be eliminated. That's an objective which
the United States and we share and we do have the real
opportunity between now and the end of 1990 to work the achieve
that. JOURNALIST; The President told us today that he wants to come to
Australia soon. Are you going to reinvite him?
PM; I have already invited him.
JOURNALIST: When, today?
PMs I have invited him before today. When I was here last year I
told him that we wanted to see him in Australia and i renewed the
invitation today.
JOURNALIST: How did the golf finish?
PM: Well the President had a very good partner in Bob M~ ichel. He
warn the best player and they just got up. It was a very, very
enjoyable game.
JOURNALIST: What was the score?
PMs They just got up.
WDS