20 January 2003, Mayo Electorate Office, Stirling, South Australia

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer

Doorstop Interview - North Korea



Downer: I've called this media conference to talk a bit about North Korea.  I sent last  week an Australian delegation of senior officials from my department to North Korea  to discuss the current situation with the North Korean Government.  The delegation  spent more than 11 hours discussing the situation with North Korean officials.  They  met the Foreign Minister, Foreign Minister Pak for eighty minutes, and so I can say  that the delegation was welcomed by the North Koreans, and they appreciated the  dialogue that Australia was prepared to engage in.  Let me just make a couple of  points about the visit.  I mean I obviously don't want to say too much about it, thereby  undermining some of the essential elements of it.  But in any case it's our view that  the visit was worthwhile and constructive and as I said it is clear the North Koreans  want dialogue.  The delegation took the opportunity of re-iterating Australia's and the  international community's deep concern about North Korea's decision to walk away  from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and also to expel from North Korea  International Atomic Energy Agency observers and re-open the Yongbyon nuclear  facility.  And these points were obviously registered very firmly with the North  Korean officials.  The officials also made the point that in particular the withdrawal  from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is not in North Korea's interests.  In the  end North Korea will not gain from having taken that measure.  In response the North  Koreans particularly focused on the importance of security for them.  And our  officials made it clear to them that the United States has made it perfectly clear - it  has no hostile intent towards North Korea.  It's not preparing military action against  North Korea.  The North Koreans looked for further assurance of this, but of course  our officials made the point to the North Koreans that that's one thing, but the  important thing is that North Korea moves back onto the path of nuclear non-proliferation.  As a result, there is quite a lot that went on in the discussions - I think  the important thing is that there be perhaps less inflamed rhetoric and more silent  diplomacy and we're certainly going to practice what we preach.  We're not going to  say too much more about some of the intricacies of these private conversations.  I this  morning spoke with Secretary of State, Colin Powell, not only to brief him on the  delegation and the particular messages that the North Koreans gave us, during the  delegation's visit, but to talk more broadly about the issue.  I also spoke to Foreign  Minister Choi of South Korea, and Foreign Minister Kawaguchi, the Japanese Foreign  Minister.  And again it's been a very good opportunity for us to feed into them the  perceptions we have and the messages that came from our officials North Korean  interlocutors.  This evening the leader of the Australian delegation, Murray McLean,  will leave for Washington.  And he'll be in Washington Tuesday morning Washington  time.  I've also sent John Carlson, who's the Head of the Australian Safeguards and  Non-Proliferation Office, who was one of the members of the delegation to North  Korea, to both Seoul and to Tokyo to discuss the issue with officials in those countries  as well.  So I think Australia is doing at a constructive level and at a mature level all  that we can to try to help reduce tension on the Korean Peninsula.  We want a non-nuclear Korean Peninsula.  I know the rest of the international community wants a  non-nuclear Korean Peninsula and I think Australia is making a useful contribution to

taking the course of peace forward on the Korean Peninsula.  But these are difficult  times.  It's going to require sustained dialogue and a good degree of patience for these  problems to be resolved.  But I think as a take-out I would say that as a result of our

delegation's visit to North Korea I have a greater level of optimism that this issue can  be resolved than I had before the delegation went.  I'm glad I sent the delegation, and  they've made a very constructive contribution to ensuring the Korean Peninsula  remains peaceful.

One last point I wanted to make with domestic significance but coming out of all  this is that Secretary of State Colin Powell went out of his way to express his  condolences to the people of Canberra for the bushfires that have afflicted that city.   And this was a view also expressed by the other foreign ministers I spoke to this  morning.  We particularly appreciate their expressions of concern.  I said that I would  pass them on to the people of Canberra.  I know the people of Canberra will be  particularly appreciative that countries like the United States, Japan and South Korea  are thinking of them at this difficult time.

Journalist: Is Australia playing some kind of a mediation role here?

Downer: I just think the word I would use is ‘constructive' - a constructive role.   We're not trying to set ourselves up as anything that we either are or we aren't.  What  we're trying to do is play a role that a significant country like Australia can play in  trying to contribute towards reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and getting

North Korea back onto the nuclear non-proliferation track.  A country like Australia,  which has diplomatic relations with North Korea, but yet is a very close ally of the  United States, is a country which is able to play a particular role and that's what we  have been happy to do.

Journalist: Will there need to be direct dialogue between North Korea and the United  States given that the North Koreans have said that they want knee to knee talks with  the US?

Downer: Well in the end I think one of the views that they've expressed all along is  that they want dialogue as you say, with the United States.  They want direct dialogue  with the United States. I think one of the things we've got to achieve though is a  reduction in the rhetoric, more silent diplomacy and I think some of the messages that  have been coming out of Washington recently have been constructive messages.  I  think the North Koreans are sincere in wanting to talk these issues through.  But, I  think the best we can do is we can discuss these issues ourselves face-to-face with the  North Koreans.  We can talk with the Americans as well as others in the region about  these issues and hope that ultimately some construction of a resolution comes about.   But I don't want to get into how that might happen, because those issues are all very  much in the air at the moment.

Journalist: Did the talks cover possible conflict, something like trade sanctions?   Was there a big stick along with a soft sword?

Downer: No I mean we didn't go there saying that we thought this issue ought to go  immediately to the Security Council and the Security Council should adopt sanctions  against North Korea.  I don't think that would be a constructive path forward at this  stage.  I think talk of that is premature.  So we didn't go there with a big stick, we  went there with a lot of common sense and very good contacts around the world, and

obviously an extremely good understanding of what the international community  thinks of this issue, and how the Americans feel about it and at the same time we do  have some relationship with North Korea - I've met the Foreign Minister of North

Korea on several occasions, and most recently in July last year in Brunei.  So we do  have some understanding of them and we at least have an opening for dialogue with  them, which I think has been useful.

Journalist: What do you think it is that North Korea wants?  What's necessary to  resolve this?

Downer: I think what North Korea is likely to be concerned about is one of two  things.  Either to extract greater concessions out of the international community in  terms of trade, investment, aid and the like in exchange for walking away from the  nuclear proliferation path.  Or alternatively, or possibly a combination of the two, they  genuinely are concerned about their security - they genuinely feel that the United  States and others could be a threat to their security, to the survival of the regime in

North Korea and they're looking for further guarantees of their security.  The United  States from the President downwards has reiterated on many occasions that the United  States has no hostile intention towards North Korea.  There's no manoeuvring of  troops or ships or assets of one kind or another, for a military strike against North  Korea. And it's been an opportunity for us to try to explain to the North Koreans what  the United States' perspective is.  Now whether the United States will go further in

terms of how they articulate those undertakings to the North Koreans, that's  something we'll have to wait and see.

Journalist: How can the North Koreans resolve their concerns about security without  dialogue?

Downer: Well there has to be a process of dialogue, including with the United States.   There's no question of that.  And there will be.  There will be some process of  dialogue.  How that will happen, those are things which are all at the moment being  discussed between different governments.  And of course the United States itself is  very carefully reflecting on how best to handle these issues.

Journalist: Have you put any steps in place now with North Korea (inaudible)…?

Downer: We will see how things go over the next week.  As I said I'm sending the  officials to Washington and to Seoul and to Tokyo.  They also on their way out of  Pyongyang, our officials went via Beijing and took the opportunity whilst in Beijing  to brief the Chinese officials and to discuss the issue with them as well.  So let's see  what happens from here.  I think Australia has played a very useful role at this stage  but ultimately the United States and the Administration in Pyongyang are going to  make some final decisions on how this issue should be taken forward.  But I think  we've been able to play a constructive role so far.  If there's more for us to do, well  we'll see how these discussions that our officials have in a number of capitals go.

Journalist: How would you describe that role? Is it as a messenger…(inaudible)…?

Downer: Well I haven't really searched for a word to describe Australia's role.  I think  I should say that because we're a significant country in the region, because we have an  alliance relationship with the United States, because we have diplomatic relations  with North Korea, we can use that status in order to help take the process forward.

And we've been doing that.  And we've been doing it in a constructive and positive  way.  So I hope that this contributes towards a resolution of this problem.

Journalist: Do you think this will be resolved quickly?

Downer: I think it will go on for a while.  I don't think it will be resolved quickly.  I  think if one has to put all of these difficult issues - you have to be moving forward but  you have to be patient as well.

Journalist: Did the United States ask us to become involved or did we offer?

Downer: No we just became involved on our own initiative.

ENDS………………………………………………………………….20 January 2003



