Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

First, I thank the honourable member for Fadden for his question and, for that matter, for his interest. Last week senior officials, on my instruction, visited North Korea—officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and AusAID. The delegation met with senior North Korean government representatives, including the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Trade. The delegation obviously first and foremost welcomed the agreement that had been reached under the auspices of the six-party talks that the North Koreans would close down the Yongbyon nuclear reactor and that there would be progress made towards the eventual denuclearisation of North Korea. The delegation went on to emphasise to the North Koreans that they had now reached a pivotal point in their relationship with the international community: they can either adhere to this agreement by shutting down the Yongbyon nuclear facilities and allow International Atomic Energy Agency monitors to return to North Korea by mid-April and give a full account of their nuclear programs and facilities, or else they will of course once more become isolated in the international community.

The important point that Australia makes is that the more North Korea fulfils its obligations in taking steps towards denuclearisation the more Australia can do to help the ordinary people of North Korea. To put that into some perspective, child and nursing mother malnutrition rates in North Korea are over 50 per cent in some parts of the country. It is estimated that 32 per cent—about one-third—of all North Koreans at no time have enough food to eat. So the dimensions of the humanitarian problem in North Korea are simply enormous. A country like Australia, rich in agriculture, can support the people of North Korea to a greater extent than we already do through the World Food Program, but we can only do more if North Korea works with the international community. The six-party process is making progress and Australia has been a strong supporter of it. The fact that we would send officials there—an initiative much welcomed by countries like China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States—I think demonstrates the useful role we can play.

Finally, while it was in North Korea the delegation did raise Australia’s great concern about two other things: firstly, the still yet to be resolved issue of abductions of Japanese citizens—and that is an issue that needs to be resolved; and, secondly, the broader human rights abuses that clearly take place in North Korea. I congratulate the delegation on the good job they have done. It is another illustration of effective Australian diplomacy in Asia.

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