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Media Release  " Bob McMullan Minister for Trade Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs MTIO/96 OPPOSITION REVEALS TRUE COLOURS ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT 13 January 1996 Acting Foreign Minister, Senator Bob McMullan, said today that comments in the last 24 hours by the Opposition reveal the hypocrisy and shallow, opportunistic nature of its recent conversion to the cause of international nuclear disarmament. This follows a statement by National Party Leader, Tim Fischer, that a Coalition government's first step to reallocate resources in the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio would be to scrap the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons , as reported on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald this morning. "The Canberra Commission has been widely welcomed around the world as a major and important initiative towards nuclear disarmament," Senator McMullan said. "The participation by 17 eminent people on the Commission lends enormous stature and credibility to this important international initiative by Australia. "It is an initiative that clearly enjoys the support of the Australian people and reflects our hopes and aspirations to achieve a peaceful world, free from the fear of a nuclear nightmare. "But on the verge of the Commission's first meeting, we get this bombshell from the Opposition. "The Opposition's admission that it will scrap the Commission is an outrageous insult to the 17 very eminent people who have accepted the invitation to join the Commission. None of these people is being paid for their services. "Fischer's revelation flies in the face of repeated assurances from Opposition foreign affairs spokesman, Alexander Downer, that a Coalition Government would retain the Commission." In an interview on 27 November 1995, Downer said: ".,,/ don't want to be mean-minded about the Commission. / think the Commission will be a very interesting exercise and after the election it's a body that the Coalition will keep in place."  " Parliament House, Canberra, ACT 2600. Tel: (06) 277 7420  " Fax: (06) 2734128.

He confirmed this on 17 December:

"I said that we wouldn't scrap the Canberra Commission onfelection, we would allow it to  complete its work. /I

"Not only is the Opposition incapable of arriving at a sensible policy and sticking to it, Tim  Fischer has revealed quite clearly what the Opposition is about," Senator McMullan said.

"Fischer's latest salvo against the Commission not only erodes what little credibility Downer  retains - he obviously has no influence on Opposition policy -it reveals a cynical Opposition,  bereft of any vision or any commitment, but willing to say anything in the pursuit of power.

"Their problem is that the two people John Howard proposes should represent Australia  internationally can't manage to say the same thing at the same time about even the most  profoundly important of international issues.

"What this episode shows the Australian people is that, sooner or later , John Howard, as the  aspiring leader of the country, must face the fact that he cannot entrust our vital international  interests to Fischer and Downer."

Further information: John Flannery, (06) 277 7420, 0411 414691

The Canberra Commission will be meeting next week (23-25 January) in Canberra for the  first time and is to conclude its report by 31 August 1996.

C.l\.N.BERRA COM:MISSION O?'( THE ELL\~ATION OF :--'lJCLEAR \VEAPOr\S

Ar7':bassqdar Cerra AmQrim (Erazi!)

Celso Amorim was Brazilian Foreign Minis;er ::cm 1993-1994, a.."1d a former .A..ssistant

?rofessor. Departtm:nt of Political Science and Ir:~ernational Relations, University of Brasilia.

3:e is currently Brazil's Permanent Representarive to the United !'fario'Cs. ~ew York.

~1Urc:i (rtf.) George Lu Butler (Unired Sta;esJ

Lee Butler was Commander in Ctief of the US Strategic Air Command (1991-92) and

subsequently the US Strategic Commanci (1992-94) with responsibility for all US Air Force

and ~avy nuc!ear deterrent forces. Ee -;.-as ~~osely :nvoived in the development of US

r:uclear doctrine. General Butler has served as a deputy to ~nera1 Colin PowelL

Ambassador RidÃ¢Â‘.ard Bu:ierO.u.m-c;iia) (CoTIvO'tor}

Richard Butler was Au.stralia's Ambassador for DisatI1l2Inent from 1983-88 and is now

Australia's Pero:wlent Representative to the United. Nations. New York.

Field Marshalrhe Lord Cc.r.;er (United Kin~ti.om;

~chael Canrer was Commander in Chief F~ East 0: the British Army (1967-1969), Chief of

General Staff (1971Ã¢Â‘1973), and Chief of Defence Staff (1973Ã¢Â‘1976). He is author of A Policy

jor Pttace (1982), cn nuclear policy, and numerous other works on IY'ilitary history.

Corrur..ander Jacques-Yves Cousreau (Franc..e)

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Writer. film produce. and former naval officer, Jacc;.llCS- Yves COUSteau has cee.'1 for ma..'TlY

years a leading international campaigner on environmental and globai survival issues. He is a

f:mner President of the French Council for the RIghts of Furure Generat;ons established by

President ~1itterrand in 1993.

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Ã¢Â‘ .!.mbc:ssc:dor jq;.. Ã¢Â‘ anrha DhanalJaic; I

Jayantba Dhana-pala cbaired. tbe 1995 Nuclear !'Xon-.Protie:ztion T:-eaty Re'l!~w and Ex;.ension

Confere:lce a.'1ci :$ a former Di:ec;or of Â±~ UN rnstiru~e fer Disarmamer..t Researcb

(UNIDIR). He 1S a prominent figure in international nuclear non-proiiferation and

disarmament issues and is currently Sri Lanb.'s Ambassacior to 6e Cnited. Sr.ates.

Ambassador Rolf Ek.eus (Sw~den)

Ro~f Ekeus is Ex.ect:rive ChainI'..2.Il. united Nations Special CommisSion (liNSCCM). whose

I1"..and2.re is to id:=.tify and elim:iI:a!e L'4Q's oJ;eapcns of i7lass C:~c-don. He is a. former

Swedish .~bassador for Disarmamer.t and Ambassador t:~ the CSCE.

Ambassadar D . r-:",'aiJil Cw.rabv (E':[' :Dri

Nabil Elaraby is a scecialist international lawver 2nd. a member of tb.e International Law . . .  Commission. He has be:n a key figure in nucie.a.r non-proliferation matters for many years.

and was former-ly Permanent Representative of Egypt co the Cnitcd Nations, Ocneva

(1987-91). He is currently Permanent RepresentAtive of Egypt to the United Nations. New

Yor'~

Prafessor Ryukichi [mat (JaDan)

Ryulcichi Imai is a COL'IlSellor to t.'1e Japan Atomic Power Company and a Professor at Kyorin

University. He is a former Ambassador of Japan to the Confer=:lce on Disarmament

(1982-87), to Kuwait and to Mexico. He has been a D~.i.nguished Scholar and !. member of

the Board. of the In.sti..-ute for International Policy Studies founded by former Japanese Prime

~ster Nakasone. Professor Imai is an amhor of nume:-cus books and articles mainly cn

::luclear energy, non-proliferation and disarmament :na!teI>. \ ,

Daruk Dr Ranald $ ,Wceav flyf4laV Siq)

Ronnie :Mp:~is Vice President of Asia Pacific Region ai-d Chairman of Malaysian Chapter ,  of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuciear War, which organisation won the

~obel Peace Prize in 1985. He is Ctrrre~t:ly President uf t.~e ~{alaysian Medical Association.

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'-

?oherr ,\fctiamara (United Secus)

Roben Mc~[amara was Secretary of Defense ur:=-a P:-:sidents K.ennc::dy and JohnsoI1--:':c is a

former President of the Ford Motor Company ar..d the 'w'crid Bank. S:nce le3.v1ng t1:e World

3ank ~e has been active in economic and ceveiopment :ffons across the globe:and in the

areas of arms control and nuclear non-proliferation.

?romsor Raben Q'Neill (Ausrraiia)

x

Universiry and was formerly Director, Ime:national Institme or Strategic Studies. London.

Qian Jiadong was China's Ambassador fer Disarma.."11ent :::-om 1983-1986 and Permanent

Representati' .ie of China to the United !'rations. G~ev~ from 1985-1989. He is cunently

Deputy Director-Generu of the China Cen!~ for Imernational Srudies. a Member of tt:e

National Committee of the Ollnese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and

Vice-Chairman of the CPPCC' s Foreign . .vfairs Committee.

}"fichei Rocard (France)

Michel Rocaxd was Prime Minister of Fran~ 1988-91. He is now a me:nber of the Em-opean

Par1i.aI:lent and the Frencn Serutte, and a ~ber of the Foreign Affairs and Defence

Commission in each.

Professor Joseph r?oo/lar (UniTed KingdQm>

Winner of the 1995 1-(obel Peace Prize. Joseph Rotblat is President of the Pugwash

ConfereTIces on Science 2.."'10 World Affairs and a long stallding activist and writer on nuclc::ar

c:iis armamer.!. He Ã¢Â‘ worked on the atom bomb auring World War II in Liverpool and Los

Alamos and was a signatory of the Russell-Einstein ~anifesto. He is E--r.erirus Professor at St

3~.holo~S" Ã¢Â‘Hospital. University of Lortdon.

Roald Sagceev is Distinguished Professor, -D~e:lt of Physics. t-niversiry ~!arylanci

.J.nd Direc:D:' of the East-West Space Science C~tre . He has held :.'-te post of Direc=or of the

Space Resea..~b. Institute of L~e USSR Acari.e.-ny of Sciences and "vas former Presicient

Gorbachev's sClence advlse:. From 1987 -1988 Professor Sagdeev was Chainnan of the

ComlT..icree G! Soviet Scientists for Global Se:cur:t:{.

Dr Ma; Brirr 71:eorin (Sw~den i

::V1ai Britt Theonn is a Member of L'-te E:~oean Parliament:. She:s a former Swedish . .  Ambassad.or -:or Disarmament a.,d.. Presicient :,: the L-ltemational Peace Bureau_ She was.

Ch.airman or the ~ Commission of ExpertS on ~'.lclear 'weapons 1989-90.

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