Interview - AM Program, ABC

Subject: Pakistan

TONY EASTLEY: Pervez Musharraf was one of the Bush administration's closest allies and this morning, the United States has praised his efforts in combating terrorism. Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith is a bit more circumspect, choosing to highlight the problems ahead.

The Foreign Minister is with us this morning, good morning Mr Smith, should Australians be worried about what's happening in Pakistan?

STEPHEN SMITH: Well, the Government has been worried for some considerable time, and certainly what we now want to see in Pakistan is a period of political stability to enable the government and the Parliament of Pakistan to address the serious issues that Pakistan faces, including security issues because they have very direct consequences for the nearly thousand troops that we have in Afghanistan, abutting the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

EASTLEY: But isn't his resignation producing just the opposite to that, that they'll be instability and that there will be a power vacuum?

SMITH: Well we certainly hope not, but what we now look to is for the Pakistan leadership, whether it's Mr Zardari, whether it's Mr Sharif, or whether it's the current Prime Minister, but we now look to the Pakistan leadership to effect a period of stability. One of the things which we were very pleased with earlier in the year was in the face of very difficult circumstances, with the assassination of Mrs Bhutto. But Pakistan stuck to its course and went through a democratic election process, and that was a good thing.

We hope that President Musharraf's resignation brings a difficult period to an end which sees political stability, and enables Pakistan to deal with its quite acute problems and it's important because they have not just regional consequences, but international consequences.

It's our view that the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area, the so-called FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) areas are where the current international hot bed of terrorism is, and unless that area is brought under control, that has serious adverse consequences for the international community, but also very direct adverse consequences for our troops in Uruzgan province.

EASTLEY: When we talk about Pervez Musharraf and the creation of a political vacuum, there is always the problem of course in Pakistan that the army may not willingly accept this resignation?

SMITH: The current army chief, General Kiani, has indicated very strongly in recent times that he is interested in being an army person, not a politician, and we certainly hope that he sticks to that course. And certainly, in the course of this year, General Kiani has been given a great deal of credit in trying to focus on the challenges that the Pakistani armed forces have trying to bring about an orientation of the Pakistani armed forces to the difficult circumstances and the issues that it faces in the FATA area.

So we very strongly hope that General Kiani sticks to the view that he has stated in the past that the military don't intervene, and that Pakistan works through these difficult issues in the context of a parliamentary democracy.

EASTLEY: Nevertheless, do you think there is a possibility that there could be some intervention by the army again?

SMITH: Well, on the basis of what General Kiani has said and the various assessments we've made of his statements, no, but we certainly hope that he sticks to that course.

EASTLEY: Will the resignation embolden the terrorist groups using Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan?

SMITH: Well we certainly hope it doesn't, because as the Australian Government has said in the course of this year…

EASTLEY: But it's not likely to help, is it?

SMITH: Instability won't help, which is why what we're now looking to is a period of stability so far as Pakistan's political circumstances are concerned to enable the Pakistan government, the Pakistan people, and the Pakistan military, to focus on the acute difficulties that they face, particularly in those border areas or the FATA areas.

EASTLEY: Yeah, as I said before, you've been quite circumspect about this, Mr Smith. I'm just wondering whether you don't think his resignation creates more problems than it's worth?

SMITH: Well it's up to you to analyse or describe my remarks, I wouldn't say circumspect. I suppose I have tended to focus much more on the challenges for the future than an analysis of President Musharraf's time in the past.

I am much more focused and concerned about that because in the course of the last nine months, we have seen circumstances emerge where you can say that in very many respects, the problems that we have in Afghanistan are very much problems we have in Pakistan. Which is why it's not just in terms of that border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan, it is not just an issue between Pakistan and Afghanistan on a bilateral basis, it has very severe implications for the regional community, and very severe implications for the international community. Which is why I have made the point in recent times, I think Australia needs to up its dialogue with Pakistan, I've made that point to my Pakistani counterpart, Mr Kureshi.

And also why we've indicated to the Pakistani government that we are very happy to render whatever assistance we can, in terms of helping the Pakistan government meet the difficulties that they face. We are obviously not talking about use of military forces or combat troops, but we stand ready willing and able to render the Pakistani government whatever assistance we can to help it bring about a period of stability.

EASTLEY: Well, what form would that assistance take?

SMITH: Technical assistance, but also development assistance. There is a range of expertise that we have, whether it is in the management of their parliamentary democracy, whether it is in the development of their systems of democracy, or whether it is in giving technical advice to the difficult way in which a modern armed forces needs to combat terrorism.

EASTLEY: Was Pervez Musharraf, as one commentator claims, a catastrophic failure for Pakistan?

SMITH: Well I'm happy to leave that analysis for others.

EASTLEY: Was he a success, then?

SMITH: Well, as I say, I'm happy to leave that analysis for others because I think that leaves one's thinking in the past. I am much more concerned about the future, and much more concerned about the implications that developments in Pakistan have for the 1100 troops we have in Afghanistan, and the implications it has for the development of international terrorism in that area.

That's what I think we need to very importantly focus on, which is why Australia has indicated to Pakistan, we stand ready, willing and able to assist them try to meet those very serious challenges.

EASTLEY: Stephen Smith, Australia's Foreign Minister, thanks for joining us this morning on AM.

SMITH: Thanks Tony.

[Ends]

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