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ESS AROUND THE GLOBE.
FINALLY, WE DISCUSSED WITH VARIOUS MINISTERS A NUMBER OF REGIONAL SECURITY ISSUES - ALSO WITH COMMANDER GENERAL PAT - BURMA, LAOS, THE SPRATLEYS, IMPLICATIONS OF THE U.S. BASES ISSUE IN THE PHILIPPINES AND WE HAD SOME PASSING DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PRESENT POLITICAL SITUATION HERE IN THAILAND. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, IT HAS BEEN A FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL DAY'S WORK IN THE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE FOUR PEOPLE I HAVE MENTIONED. I REPEAT THAT THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US IS, I THINK, EXCELLENT ON ANY VIEW AND THE VISIT WAS A VERY USEFUL ONE IN MAKING THAT APPARENT AND ENSURING THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE NOW A SET OF PERSONAL CONTACTS AND RELATIONSHIPS THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT THESE THINGS CONTINUE TO WORK WELL IN THE FUTURE. SO, OVER TO YOU FOR QUESTIONS.
QUESTION
IN YOUR DISCUSSIONS ON BURMA, COULD YOU DESCRIBE THOSE A LITTLE BIT AND IS THERE ANY THOUGHT OF TRYING TO WORK OUT A COMMON APPROACH, OTHER COUNTRIES WHO ARE INTERESTED IN BURMA .
SENATOR EVANS.
I THINK WE BOTH AGREE THAT THERE IS LITTLE THAT WE OR ANYONE ELSE CAN DO AT THE MOMENT THAN WAIT AND SEE. WE CAN HOPE THAT SOME KIND OF DEMOCRATIC PROCESS UNFOLDS AS HAS BEEN FORESHADOWED BY THE SAW MAUNG GOVERNMENT. I DONT THINK IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE SUPREMELY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT HOW THAT PROCESS WILL UNFOLD OVER THE MONTHS AHEAD. CERTAINLY I THINK WE ARE BOTH ANXIOUS TO DO WHAT WE CAN. CERTAINLY WE ARE EXCHANGING A LOT OF INFORMATION. THE AUSTRALIAN MISSION IN BURMA IS VERY ACTIVE ON THE GROUND. IN FACT THE AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR TO BURMA WAS AT LUNCH TODAY WITH ME AND THE THAI FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSSING WHAT IS GOING ON THERE. WE ARE KEEPING EACH OTHER AS WELL INFORMED AS WE CAN BE. WE WILL, I HOPE, BE DISCUSSING WITHIN OUR RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS THE POSSIBILITY FOR ECONOMIC AND AID SUPPORT FOR BURMA AT SOME STAGE IN THE FUTURE WHEN THE POLITICAL SITUATION CLARIFIES. I THINK BURMA IS GOING TO NEED ALL THE HELP IT CAN GET. THE HOPE IS, OF COURSE, THAT A DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE THAT IS VIABLE WILL EMERGE FROM THE PRESENT DISCONTENT BUT I DONT THINK THERE IS ANYTHING ANY EXTERNAL INVOLVEMENT OF ANY KIND IS GOING TO DO TO BRING THAT ABOUT AT THE MOMENT. I THINK THAT PERCEPTION IS WIDELY SHARED IN THE REGION.
QUESTION
IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU WERE SAYING THAT IF THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT EMERGES THEN YOU CAN PROVIDE HELP. ISNT THAT A CONDITIONAL SORT OF THING?
SENATOR EVANS
I AM NOT PUTTING IT AS STAKKLY AS THAT. I AM SAYING THAT MOST COUNTRIES - AID DONORS - ALREADY HAVE PROGRAMS OF ASSISTANCE FOR BURMA. EQUALLY OBVIOUSLY AS A RESULT OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS THE BURMESE ECONOMY IS IN AN EVEN MORE DISASTROUS CONDITION THAN IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST. EQUALLY OBVIOUSLY AS A RESULT OF THAT, BURMA IS GOING TO NEED ALL THE HELP IT CAN GET WHEN THE POLITICAL SITUATION STABILISES AND WE ALL HOPE THAT THAT STABILISATION WILL BE AROUND A
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