News Stories - 14 July 2006
Australia’s response to the Middle East Conflict in Gaza and Lebanon
Australia is deeply concerned by the major escalation in violence in the region which commenced with attacks on Israel by Hamas and Hezbollah. Australia has called on all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid actions which will have adverse humanitarian effects.
IDF incursions into Lebanon and Gaza are taking place in response to the taking of hostages by Hamas and Hezbollah, and continuing rocket attacks into Israel.
Australia utterly condemns taking hostages for political purposes and has called for IDF hostages to be released unconditionally.
Hamas cannot expect to engage with the international community, or be accepted as a negotiating partner by Israel, if it is not prepared to act responsibly and renounce terrorism in the best interests of the Palestinian people.
All parties must accept Israel’s right to live in peace and the need to move back to negotiations for a two state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
On 13 July the travel advice for Lebanon was changed with the overall level of advice increasing. It now advises Australians not to travel to Lebanon at this time because of the deteriorating security situation. The revised Travel Advice strongly urges Australians to remain in secure locations indoors, monitor the media and follow the instructions of local authorities.
Handover of security responsibility for Al Muthanna province in Iraq
Australia welcomes the transfer of security responsibility in Al Muthanna province to the Iraqi Government. The achievement of this milestone demonstrates the progress being made and is a tribute to Australian and other coalition efforts in the province. Australia will maintain a military presence in southern Iraq to provide security support to the Iraqi Government and security forces.
On 13 July 2006, responsibility for security in Al Muthanna province was officially transferred from coalition forces to the Iraq Government.
Al Muthanna is the first province to be transferred entirely to provincial Iraqi control.
This is an important step towards the Iraqi Government taking control of the country’s security, due in no small measure to the efforts of the Australian Defence Force.
Australia currently has around 450 soldiers protecting Japanese engineers as they complete their Al Muthanna mission.
Following the withdrawal of the Japanese contingent, Australian troops will continue to support the Iraqi Government and security forces through a contribution to coalition operations in south-east Iraq under the banner of Operational Overwatch.
As part of Operational Overwatch, Australian forces will continue to engage with Iraqi security forces and local authorities.
Australian forces will provide support to Iraqi authorities in a crisis if requested by the Iraqi Government and the Multi-National Force.
Australian forces also continue to provide training to Iraqi security forces.
Australia remains fully committed to contributing to Iraq’s security and rehabilitation.
Launch of EAU Report, ASEAN: Building an Economic Community
Australia recognises the potential significance of ASEAN’s attempts to deepen economic integration among its members by building an Economic Community.
Mr Downer launched the Economic Analytical Unit’s report ‘ASEAN: Building an Economic Community’ in Sydney on 6 July.
The attendance of over 170 people, largely from senior levels of the business community, demonstrated the strong interest in ASEAN’s prospects among Australian businesses.
Collectively, Australia already does more trade with ASEAN than with any single nation, and this would be likely to increase if an ASEAN Economic Community led to stronger growth in the region.
ASEAN member countries have committed to building the ASEAN Economic Community by 2020. The Economic Community is aimed at allowing a free flow of goods, services, and skilled labour, and a freer flow of capital among the ten countries.
Currently, the Economic Community is a vision and a work in progress. ASEAN faces some major challenges in achieving its goals but competition from other globalising economies is a strong economic incentive for it to forge ahead.
Australia is currently negotiating an Australia-ASEAN-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. The synergy between such an agreement and the creation of an ASEAN Economic Community has the potential to be an important contributor to economic prosperity across the region.
Australia’s exports on track for a record financial year
Australia’s exports totalled $16.5 billion in May 2006, the highest May level on record, but down 3 per cent on the level of exports in April. Exports have now exceeded the total level of exports in 2004-05 by $9.4 billion.
Resource exports fell by 6 per cent to $5.4 billion with exports of fuels falling significantly. This reflected diversion of crude oil to domestic markets and a return to more normal levels of LNG exports after a surge in April following the disruption in first quarter exports due to cyclones.
Manufacturing exports fell by 3 per cent to $3.3 billion in May while services exports were steady.
Rural exports fell by 1 per cent to $2.1 billion, with increases in exports of cereal grains and cereal preparations offset by falls in wool and meat exports.
Imports rose 3 per cent to $18.7 billion mainly due to growth in petroleum imports. Capital imports rose reflecting importation of capital equipment for the resources sector and increased civil aircraft imports.
The monthly trade deficit widened from $1.1 billion in April to $2.3 billion in May.
News Stories - 7 July 2006
Australia’s response to North Korea’s long range missile test
Australia strongly condemns the test launch of a Taepo Dong-2 long range intercontinental ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK) on 5 July. The DPRK also launched six short and medium range missiles. Australia calls on the DPRK to refrain from any further provocations and return to the six-party talks immediately and unconditionally.
On 5 July, Foreign Minister Downer phoned the North Korean Ambassador to register Australia’s serious concern at North Korea’s provocative action and to call on North Korea to return to the talks immediately and without condition.
A DPRK ICBM capability poses a serious threat to the security situation in Northeast Asia and more broadly, particularly given its track record on proliferation.
Australia will give full support to robust international action, including at the United Nations. Australia will further restrict travel to Australia by DPRK nationals and have cancelled a planned visit to North Korea by a senior DFAT Officer. DFAT will also send a delegation to Washington and regional capitals to discuss appropriate mechanisms through which to co-ordinate an international response.
Inaugural Session of the Human Rights Council
Australia looks to the new Human Rights Council to establish transparent and effective mechanisms to promote and enhance the implementation of human rights.
Australia welcomes the inaugural session of the Human Rights Council which met in Geneva from 19 to 30 June. The Council replaces the Commission on Human Rights and is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly. Australia is not a member of the Council but still played an active and constructive role at the inaugural session.
The new Human Rights Council is intended to have an enhanced capacity to ensure the protection of international human rights standards. The Council spent considerable time at its inaugural session establishing its working methods and procedures.
To this end, the Council established an open-ended intergovernmental working group to formulate concrete recommendations to review and rationalise all mandates, mechanisms, functions and responsibilities inherited from the Commission on Human Rights. Australia will continue to work with the Human Rights Council to ensure that the review of mechanisms contributes to the Council’s effectiveness in the promotion and protection of human rights.
The Council also established an intersessional open-ended intergovernmental working group to develop modalities for the universal periodic review mechanism. This mechanism will allow the Council to consider the human rights records of all UN member states. Australia emphasised that the universal periodic review should be a truly universal, transparent, effective and efficient mechanism to enhance the implementation of human rights.
The Council adopted the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, both of which will be forwarded to the UN General Assembly later this year. Australia is disappointed that a flawed Chair’s text was voted through the Council as the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples with no opportunity for states to discuss the text. This creates an unfortunate precedent for the Human Rights Council.
Current progress in the WTO Doha Round negotiations
Although Australia is disappointed at the failure to reach agreement in Geneva in late June, the Government remains committed to the WTO Doha Round.
Without some kind of breakthrough very soon, it will be almost impossible to conclude the WTO Doha Round this year. If not concluded this year, the Round would most likely have to be deferred to 2009 at best (given the expiry of US Trade Promotion Authority in 2007 and a US presidential election in 2008).
An ambitious outcome for the Round is within reach, but political courage is needed to break the current impasse.
Agricultural market access remains the central problem and the EC and G10 countries such as Japan, in particular, need to do more. Agriculture is the most distorted sector of world trade.
While the US put down a credible starting offer on reducing domestic support last October, it also needs to offer more.
The US has indicated that it could look at doing more on domestic support, but only if a much more serious offer on market access is on the table.
Key developing countries have to understand that while they will not be expected to contribute at the same level as developed countries, they will be expected to make a contribution
The World Bank has found that freeing all merchandise trade and eliminating subsidies could boost global welfare by up to US$290 billion in 2015. Almost 45 per cent of these gains would flow to developing countries. Liberalising trade could lift an additional 32 million people out of poverty (those living on less than US$1 a day) in 2015.
Australia will continue to support WTO Director General Pascal Lamy’s efforts to bridge the gaps and will work with our negotiating partners to find a solution to these issues.