16 February 2009
Radio interview, Broadcast on Pacific Beat program, Radio Australia
Subjects: PACER Plus agreement
JOURNALIST: Inaudible
CREAN: Essentially, a more sustainable Pacific region. Sustainable, obviously, in economic terms, but realising that it isn't just an issue of trade within the region, it's also very much built round capacity building in the region. So, we've made sure that this is not just seen as another trade agreement, but rather we refer to it as PACER Plus, the Pacific Area Closer Economic Relations, but the Plus going very much to that capacity building exercise.
There's not much point convincing countries that they've got to embrace trade liberalisation if they haven't got the capacity to take advantage of it. And we know that there are many of the countries within the Pacific that do need to have their infrastructure, their skill-base, for example, built if they're to take advantage and be competitive into the longer term. So the PACER Plus dimension is very much about the recognition, not just of the importance of trade to their future, but their ability to more effectively participate in that trade.
JOURNALIST: One of the concerns raised by the Pacific Island countries is about their ability to come up with an independent negotiating position on this agreement. Why is it that Australia's funding trade training sessions at which Australian officials are present as Pacific Islanders discuss their negotiating position, rather than the independent Pacific office of the Chief Trade Adviser as was requested by the Pacific Trade Ministers?
CREAN: Well, I think they're two different concepts. First goes to the capacity building of the existing officials themselves, a better understanding as to what the issues are and how they can better participate in it. But we've made it clear that we are prepared to be supportive of giving them access to independent advice.
But unless you've got a framework against which that moves forward, there's no point dealing with the position in isolation. It's got to be part of an integrated approach forward and that's part of the discussion we've had whilst they've been in Adelaide.
JOURNALIST: The other allegation that's been raised recently is that Australia pressured Pacific officials not to allow the renewal of the contract of Roman Grynberg, a key trade adviser at the Forum Secretariat. How do you respond to that?
CREAN: Look, I'd prefer to deal with the positive path forward. I think that all of us understand that it's in the interests of the region to try and build a sustainable economic base, but understanding the difficulties of securing it. If that's our objective, then we've got to have commitment to advancing it, not to pretend there aren't difficulties in going forward. But, quite frankly, from Australia's point of view, we don't stand to gain much directly. There is nothing in it for us in terms of trade opportunities per se.
What's in it for the region is greater stability, greater economic security and, I hope out of this process, a better accommodation of the different stages of development the different countries are in, a proper recognition of their capacity building, their infrastructure, their skills needs, and a proper understanding and better understanding of the cultural dimension to the challenges that confront.
We want this to be a comprehensive approach. What Australia's enthusiastic about is not getting just another trade deal, but getting a basis for sustainability, long term, in the region.
JOURNALIST: So, when you talk about that new kind of stability, what particular areas do you see that happening in?
CREAN: Well, obviously there are some important issues to the countries themselves and I would like to see that information come from the outcome of the dialogue in Adelaide. Rather than us impose what we want to see come out, we want them to get some ownership.
We had a good, frank discussion today. I'm not going to go into the details of that publicly. I was very happy with not just the tone of the discussion, but the commitment, even though there is some hesitation within it.
I think we can deal with these issues. I think that there are some difficulties that we have to overcome. But we want to work constructively with them. And, in part, the exercise is convincing these countries that there are long term benefits for them.
[ENDS]
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