E and O E

20 December, 2003

Transcript

Doorstop Interview - Minister for Foreign Affairs

Adelaide, South Australia

Subject: Libya: Weapons of mass destruction; other domestic issues.

Alexander Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs: I want to say something about the  decision announced by Libya that they are going to wind back their weapons of mass  destruction programs.

Look, the Australian government is absolutely delighted by the decision of Colonel Gaddafi  to abandon weapons of mass destruction programs. It's been a great concern for the  international community for a very long time and the decision by Colonel Gaddafi's regime  to abandon nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and to design international  instruments (indistinct) the abandonment of these programs is good news for a more  secure world. And it illustrates a point that if the world is strong and robust in confronting  the proliferation of these weapons it can be successful.

And over the last two or three years there has been a very major effort made by the  United States and its allies and some other countries to make sure that those countries  that have been developing these weapons systems stop doing so.

We've been obviously successful in incapacitating the Iraqi regime from developing any  further weapons of mass destruction programs. In the case of Iran, Iran has now signed  up to the International Atomic Energy Agency's additional protocol which is a mechanism  for providing additional inspections, spot inspections and has, I think, taken constructive  steps to bring its nuclear program out into the open. And the international community take  great satisfaction from that.

Now we have the Libyan decision. We have had two rounds of six-party talks with the  North Koreans. We hope there'll be a further round of talks with them early next year.

What all of this demonstrates is that with a strong approach to these issues the United  States, Great Britain and countries like Australia which have robustly supported these  efforts are getting very real results which in decades to come will be looked back on as  demonstrating that strength can bring stability and security to the world. This is a very  important day today, this announcement by Libya. It's a very important step forward and  we're absolutely delighted.

REPORTER:

(Inaudible question)

DOWNER:

Look, I think there have been a number of factors that have played into this. I think first  of all, a realisation by all of those states that have been developing (indistinct) capability  that the United States and its allies won't tolerate. That obviously clearly is born out by  what happened in Iraq. After twelve years eventually somebody had to draw the line with  Saddam Hussein.

But I think also the development of what's called the Proliferation Security Initiative that  countries like the United States with Australia, and others would make every effort to stop  the spread of the technologies - we're looking at ways of intercepting the trade in ballistic  missiles, in chemical, biological and nuclear materials. That has been very important too in  terms of changing the atmosphere.

So I think it's really the demonstration of sheer strength from the United States and its  allies that it's not prepared to tolerate the proliferation of these weapons that has led to  the success we've had during 2003. It's been a very good year for the non-proliferation  regime.

REPORTER:

(Inaudible question)

DOWNER:

Look, it is important because we don't know how many actual warheads they have or they  had warheads which had these materials. But what we do know is that Libya had these  programs that they did have chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs and there  was a great deal of intelligence to support that proposition and every effort has been  made to try to talk Colonel Gaddafi out of having those programs.

He's seen what's happened in Iraq. He's seen that there is strong determination amongst  other countries to make sure that people don't get away with these programs. And he's  had these programs for a long time and it's a very important day.

It's very important in practice but it's very important symbolically too that gone are the  days when countries can become rogue states, but developing these weapons capabilities  which, you know, who knows what they could use them for. We know what Saddam  Hussein did with them; he used them against his neighbours and his own people. What  would other countries do? We don't know. Let's not take the chance to find out.

REPORTER:

(Inaudible question)

DOWNER:

I am, yes. I don't have any reason to doubt the sincerity of what the Libyans have said.  We've had some contact ourselves with the Libyans through 2003. I think in our dealings  with the Libyans - as we have with the Iranians, and you know what we've done in Iraq -  so we've been pretty active in all of this.

In the case of the Libyans, they've really wanted to try to build an economic relationship  with Australia and we have oil and gas companies in Australia which are investing there.  We have the potential to build up quite a lot of trade. We've been negotiating wheat  contracts with Libya and I think it's all this sense of Libya wanting to come out into the  broader international community to play a part in the mainstream of the world. It's a  country with a lot of resources, a country that can generate very high living standards for  its people if it pursues sensible policies of engagement with the international community.  And they are going down the right track now and we welcome that. Let's give credit where  it's due.

REPORTER:

(Inaudible question)

DOWNER:

Well, I don't know what we'll ever find out from Saddam Hussein himself, what he would  ever say and it's far too early to be able to make any judgment about that. But I know  people claim - it's a great cry of the political left that 'where are the weapons of mass  destruction' - as though it didn't matter that Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons  against his own people and against the Iranians. I suppose that just doesn't matter. But I  actually do think that matters. And there's also no doubt as the interim Kay report  demonstrated a couple of months ago that Saddam Hussein was still working on chemical  and biological weapons programs and maintained his nuclear aspirations.

Now, did he have physical weapons? Time will tell. But he certainly had the programs and  all the evidence is there for people to see if they wish about the programs he had, because  that is there to be read in the public version of the Kay report.

So I tell you one thing, Saddam Hussein will never be able to use chemical, biological and  nuclear weapons again. He'll never be able to do that again and the world's a better place  for that.

REPORTER:

(Inaudible question - regarding Nicky Downer's position on the Australia Council)

DOWNER:

Well, I noticed that yes, and I noticed that the Latham Labor Opposition is out there now  attacking my wife for being appointed to the Australia Council on the basis of her being  married to me.

I actually thought in Australia we've moved a bit past attacking people on the basis of  their relationships, on the basis of their marriage or on the basis of who their parents were

or their children are. I think we should have moved past that. This is part of a pattern  from the Latham Labor Party though. I mean, Mr Latham referred to a female journalist as  a 'skanky ho' in the parliament a few months ago.

We have the Opposition spokesman on the Arts, Senator Lundy her name is. We have  Senator Lundy attacking my wife and not on the basis of her merits for the job but on the  basis that she's married to me.

Now, my wife deserves to be assessed on her own merits as the President of Regional Arts  Australia and what she's done for regional arts in that position. On the basis of the role  she's performed as the chair of the South Australian Country Arts. On the basis of the  praise that Mike Rann, the Labor Premier of South Australia has heaped on her in the  House of Assembly for the great work, the outstanding work she does for the Arts in South  Australia.

For Latham Labor to come out and attack my wife, not on the basis of her merits but on  the basis of who her husband is, I can just say that I'd regard that as - I regard the attack  by the Labor Party as monumentally sexist and if Mr Latham wants to be modern instead  of old-fashioned, then he should bring Senator Lundy into line. But it will be interesting to  see whether Mr Latham can be bothered or is Mr Latham really just going to confirm the  view we have of him already; a man who's prepared to attack in the most appalling  manner female journalists. Let's wait and see.

REPORTER:

(Inaudible question)

DOWNER:

No, I don't think so. We have no information to that effect. I mean, obviously as I've said,  that his capture not only was I delighted that he was captured and I think the whole world  was delighted, nearly all the world was delighted that he was captured. But more than  that, you really expect some acts of revenge and vengeance and some security problems  in the immediate period afterwards; and we've seen that. But I think in the medium to  long term the capture of Saddam Hussein's very good for security and for the prospects of  peace in Iraq, I really do, because his supporters now know they've got nothing to gain by  maintaining the sort of aggressive attacks that they've been perpetrating against the  coalition and against Iraqis.

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ENDS

