PRESS STATEMENT MINISTER FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY Â®

SENATOR GARETH EVANS Q.C.

30 January 1985

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OVERSEAS VISIT

Senator Evans will be leaving Australia next Sunday,

3 February,  for a two week visit to Europe,  returning on

Friday, 15 February.

In his capacity as Minister for Resources and Energy, Senator

Evans will be having briefing and familiarisation discussions:

.  in Vienna, on 5-6 February,  with Dr Al-Chalabi,

Secretary-General of OPEC, and Mr Sievering, Deputy

Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency;

.  in Paris,  on 11 February,  with_ Mr Jean-Claude Paye,

Secretary-General of the OECD and Mme Helga Steeg,

Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (in

which Australia presently chairs the Governing Board);

.  in London,  on 12-13 February,  with Mr Peter Walker,

Secretary of State for Energy;  Mr Adam Butler,  Minister

of State for Defence Procurement (responsible for dealing

with issues raised by the McClelland Royal Commission;

and BP Managing Director,  Mr Patrick Gillam; and

in Rome,  on 4 February,  with the Chief Executives of the

resources and petroleum companies ENI and AGIP.

In his capacity as Minister Assisting the Minister for Foreign

Affairs,  Senator Evans will, in Geneva on 7-8 February:

attend and address the United Nations Commission on Human

Rights (on which Australia last year regained a seat);  and

- 2 -

. o b s e r v e  a p l e n a r y  s e s s i o n  of t h e  U N  C o n f e r e n c e  o n

D i s a r m a m e n t , a n d  be b r i e f e d  on  c u r r e n t  p r o g r e s s  on

d i s a r m a m e n t  a n d  n o n - p r o l i f e r a t i o n  m a t t e r s  by A u s t r a l i a n

A m b a s s a d o r , M r  R i c h a r d  B u t l e r .

In h i s  c a p a c i t y  as M i n i s t e r  A s s i s t i n g  the P r i m e  M i n i s t e r ,

S e n a t o r  E v a n s  w i l l , w h i l e  in L o n d o n  o n  1 2 - 1 3  F e b r u a r y , s e e k

to m a k e  f u r t h e r  p r o g r e s s  o n  t h e  r e m o v a l  of r e s i d u a l

c o n s t i t u t i o n a l  l i n k s  (i n c l u d i n g  P r i v y  C o u n c i l  a p p e a l s )

b e t w e e n  A u s t r a l i a  a n d  t h e  U n i t e d  K i n g d o m ,  by  h a v i n g

d i s c u s s i o n s  w i t h

. B a r o n e s s  Y o u n g , M i n i s t e r  of S t a t e  for F o r e i g n  a n d

C o m m o n w e a l t h  A f f a i r s ; a n d

. S i r  P h i l i p  M o o r e ,  P r i v a t e  S e c r e t a r y  to H e r  M a j e s t y  T h e

Q u e e n .

D u r i n g  S e n a t o r  E v a n s ' s  a b s e n c e  f r o m  A u s t r a l i a , S e n a t o r  W a l s h

w i l l  be  t h e  A c t i n g  M i n i s t e r  for R e s o u r c e s  a n d  E n e r g y .

** ** * * * * * *

Canberra Enquiries: Sue Tongue

(Tel. 062/733979)

