Out-going cable to CANBERRA
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BWAN964
0.BK99078 1546 29.10.88 UNC FIRST
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PP CANBERRA/6112
FM. BANGKOK / FA
UNCLASSIFIED
MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE IN REGENT HOTEL, BANGKOK AT 1800 HRS ON OCTOBER 28.
I FLEW INTO BANGKOK ITS SOMETHING OF A
THANK YOU FOR COMING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. LAST NIGHT. I WILL BE LEAVING TOMORROW NIGHT. FLYING VISIT BUT AN IMPORTANT FAMILIARISATION EXERCISE FOR ME AT AN EARLY STAGE OF MY PERIOD AS FOREIGN MINISTER HAVING BEEN SWORN IN JUST TWO MONTHS AGO. I WANTED TO MAKE A VISIT TO THE ASEAN CAPITALS A HIGH AND EARLY PRIORITY. I HAVE, DURING THE COURSE OF TODAY HAD SUBSTANTIAL DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PRIME MINISTER, FOREIGN MINISTER SIDDHI, MINISTER FOR COMMERCE SUBIN AND DEPUTY SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE ARMED FORCES PAT. TOMORROW I WILL BE MEETING THE UNITED NATIONS AGENCY PEOPLE AND AT LUNCH TIME ADDRESSING A MEETING OF THE AUSTRALIAN THAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. I THINK IT IS FAIR TO SAY AS A RESULT OF MY DISCUSSIONS TODAY THAT RELATIONS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND THAILAND ARE IN EXCELLENT SHAPE. THERE WAS VERY GOOD RAPPORT TOO, GOOD COMMUNICATION, DURING ALL MY MEETINGS TODAY, ESPECIALLY WITH MINISTER SIDDHI WHOM I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING IN NEW YORK AT THE UNITED NATIONS A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND WITH WHOM I EXPECT TO HAVE QUITE A SUBSTANTIAL COURSE OF DEALING IN THE PERIOD AHEAD. JUST AS HE HAD A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH MY PREDECESSOR, BILL HAYDEN, SO TOO WOULD I EXPECT TO KEEP THAT UP. I THINK IF WE DIVIDE THE TOPICS DISCUSSED INTO TWO CATEGORIES, MULTILATERAL AND- BILATERAL IT WILL GIVE YOU SOME OF THE FLAVOUR OF WHAT IS BEING TALKED ABOUT.
AS FAR AS MULTILATERAL COOPERATION IS CONCERNED, WE BOTH NOTED THE KIND OF EXCELLENT COOPERATION THAT HAS EXISTED BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND THAILAND DURING THE CURRENT ROUND OF MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS, IN PARTICULAR OUR COMMON MEMBERSHIP OF THE CAIRNS GROUP OF FAIR AGRICULTURAL TRADERS. WE NOTED AGAIN THE EXCELLENT COOPERATION THAT HAS EXISTED IN THE UNITED NATIONS ON THE CAMBODIAN QUESTION WITH THE THAI MINISTERS THANKING AUSTRALIA IN PARTICULAR FOR ITS EARLY DECISION TO CO-SPONSOR THE ASEAN RESOLUTION ON CAMBODIA. AUSTRALIA HAS NOT CO-SPONSORED THAT RESOLUTION IN RECENT YEARS BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN CONCERNED AT THE INADEQUACY OF THE REFERENCE TO THE KHMER ROUGE IN THE RESOLUTION. WE HAVE NOW TAKEN THE VIEW THAT WITH THE CHANGE IN LANGUAGE IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR US TO JOIN IN AND WE HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY SUPPORTING AND SEEKING SUPPORT FOR THAT RESOLUTION.
NEW AREAS OF MULTILATERAL COOPERATION THAT WE DISCUSSED TODAY INCLUDED AN EXERCISE IN SUPPORT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A UNIVERSAL CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION, AUSTRALIA AND INDONESIA AS THE TWO REGIONAL MEMBERS OF THE GENEVA CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT ARE GOING TO BE ACTIVELY PROMOTING THIS IN THE PERIOD AHEAD. THAILAND THROUGH ITS FOREIGN MINISTER - THIS WAS A POINT AGAIN I