Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I last updated this House on the situation in Syria one week ago. I regret to inform the House that what is happening in Syria is a crisis that continues to worsen, but international action is in fact strengthening.

Latest developments

The regime has been emboldened by lack of action by the United Nations Security Council. The attacks in Homs are ongoing. And a humanitarian crisis of tragic proportions is unfolding.

On 12 February, at a session of the UN General Assembly convened to discuss the humanitarian situation in Syria, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that tens of thousands had been arrested and 18,000 people are estimated to be held in arbitrary detention. The crisis has generated some 25,000 refugees, and 70,000 internally displaced persons, as I advised the House most recently. The HRC also went on to say:

The failure of the Security Council to agree on firm collective action appears to have emboldened the Syrian government to plan an all-out assault in an effort to crush resistance with overwhelming force.

Furthermore, the HRC stated through its commissioner:

I am particularly appalled by the ongoing violence in Homs.

The High Commissioner for Refugees confirmed that deaths and injuries are rising but that keeping track of the numbers of fatalities had become 'almost impossible'.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said:

It is deplorable that the regime has escalated violence in cities across the country, including using artillery and tank fire against innocent civilians. We stand with the Syrian people and we are looking for a peaceful resolution.

It is impossible for the international community to stand by and watch this violence continue to unfold without appropriate action.

Here in Australia, last week I called in the Syrian Charge, Mr Jawdat Ali, to underline the Australian government's grave concerns about the worsening crisis in Syria and the ongoing bloodshed. I underlined that the Assad regime had lost its legitimacy fundamentally when it started deploying arms against its own people and that it was time for Assad to leave. I said this view was now virtually universal—as demonstrated not only by the UN Security Council vote, where 13 of the council's 15 members voted in support of the proposed resolution, but more importantly by the collective position of the Arab League itself. Evidence of violence, including the recent loss of life in Homs, is indisputable. It constitutes a growing tragedy. I told the chargé that the growing evidence of human rights abuses, possible war crimes and crimes against humanity, and torture and arbitrary detention was unacceptable to the international community. I told him that the message of the Australian government and people to the government of Syria was clear—Assad must find an exit strategy before the situation in Syria degenerates further and more lives are lost. The bloodshed must come to an end and there must be a peaceful, Syrian led political solution to this crisis. I also asked that the views of the government of Australia be conveyed directly to the Syrian government in Damascus, including to the foreign minister and to President Assad.

Arab League

The Arab League has been actively pursuing efforts to bring peace to Syria and to end the bloodshed—despite the lack of support on the part of some members of the UN Security Council. Members of the Arab League most recently met on 12 February in Cairo to discuss next steps. A resolution was adopted at this meeting:

I have signalled in the past, including in this place, Australia's strong support for the efforts of the Arab League. It has shown resolve and leadership to end the appalling bloodshed in Syria and to help lift the hand of oppression currently being held over the Syrian people by the Syrian regime. We owe it to the people of Syria and, through an act of solidarity with the Arab League, to likewise maintain our resolve and support as responsible members of the international community.

Friends of Syria

Last week I informed the House of Australia's prospective support for a possible international grouping of like-minded countries to gather in support of Syria. Since that time there has been progress. Australian embassies and high commissions around the world have been in contact with other countries conveying Australia's support for this important initiative. I am pleased to update the House that Tunisia now plans to host a Friends of Syria meeting on Friday, 24 February in its capital, Tunis. Australia plans to attend. The goals of this meeting are important:

United Nations

It remains to be seen how the UNSC decides to respond to the Arab League's call for help. The full membership of the UNSC must accept its responsibility to the people of Syria by listening to the unified voice of the world's Arab leaders. Russia and China need to reconsider their commitment to the Syrian people. Australia fully supports the UN General Assembly's efforts to bring forward a resolution on Syria this week. A General Assembly resolution has just been tabled by the government of Egypt, with the vote expected this week. Australia will co-sponsor this resolution with the government of Egypt. It reflects the resolution rejected by the UNSC calling for the Syrian government to end violence and to abide by the Arab League peace plan. Further action in the UNSC remains a possibility.

The Arab League secretary general, with whom I have spoken within the last week or so, has maintained the view that despite the pressure on Syria, such as through sanctions, a parallel political track must continue. But the time for Assad to act and to take his opportunity to seek a peaceful, political resolution is now. Australia was one of the first countries to call for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court. Assad has the chance now to take the initiative himself to stand aside to allow an orderly process of reform and to initiate a process of inclusive dialogue; otherwise, the implications for Assad personally are dire.

Consular

Throughout this crisis, since protests began in March 2011, the Australian government has been closely monitoring impacts for our consular obligations. Our travel advice has been simply 'Do no travel', our highest level since April 2001. We urge Australians in Syria to depart now by commercial means while it is still possible to do so. There are 110 Australians registered as being in Syria, although there could be up to 300 actually in the country at any one time. We have been in repeated contact with registered Australians to remind them of the travel advice, and to confirm their safety.

Iran

Elsewhere in the Middle East, a different emerging crisis is attracting the increasing attention and concern of the international community. Here I refer to Iran's nuclear ambitions and the grave threat that it poses to regional and international stability. This threat is unacceptable for the peace and stability of the international community. The Iranian regime has continued to defy both its IAEA obligations and numerous UNSC resolutions. The conclusions of the International Atomic Energy Agency in its November 2011 report are absolutely clear. We are deeply concerned by Iran's decision to begin enrichment to near 20 per cent at its underground facility at Fordow near Qom. This is contrary to Iran's obligations under multiple UNSC and IAEA resolutions—and it takes Iran closer to having the capacity to produce weapons-grade uranium. So this clearly adds to our concern, and that of the region, that Iran is undertaking nuclear weapons related activities.

Australia stands side by side with our partners in Europe and the US in strengthening our sanctions to underline to Tehran the need to comply with its international obligations and return to the negotiating table. Iran must immediately address international concerns regarding its nuclear program, take steps required by UNSC and IAEA and engage constructively with the international community. These are concerns that we have directly and repeatedly outlined to the government of Iran. The ball is in Iran's court to demonstrate that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes.

Let us have a look at some examples of where Iran has not met its international obligations. Both the IAEA and UNSC require Iran to suspend enrichment activities. But Iran continues to enrich uranium at Natanz and has recently commenced enrichment at a new underground facility at Qom. The UNSC requires Iran to suspend heavy-water related activities. But Iran continues to build the Arak heavy-water reactor, which is ideally suited to produce plutonium. Both the IAEA and UNSC require Iran to ratify and implement fully a safeguards additional protocol within the IAEA. Iran has failed to do so. On 11 February President Ahmadinejad announced Iran would soon unveil new nuclear achievements, and insisted Iran would never give up its uranium enrichment process. We are deeply concerned about the risk of escalation and miscalculation through actions and rhetoric such as Iran's threats to close the Straits of Hormuz, and its conduct of military exercises. The IAEA requires Iran to fully cooperate with the IAEA in resolving issues associated with nuclear weapons related activities. But Iran continues to claim there are no such activities and to argue that activities not involving actual nuclear material are outside the mandate of the IAEA.

International diplomatic efforts

The international community, with strong support from the government of Australia, has been doing what it can to encourage Iran to return to the negotiating table, to comply with international obligations and to be fully transparent about its nuclear program. Talks with the P5+1 in Istanbul in January last year collapsed after Iran refused to discuss confidence-building measures unless, from their perspective, preconditions were met which the international community deemed to be unacceptable. The P5+1 said afterwards that the door to dialogue remained open. The choice remained in Iran's hands.

Later, in July 2011, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who was recently in Australia, put forward a step-by-step approach under which Iran could address questions about its nuclear program, and the international community could, as a result, ease sanctions. In October 2011, EU foreign policy head Catherine Ashton sent a letter to Iran, requesting a resumption of talks. Iran, so far, has not responded formally. Most recently, the press reported that, on 18 January 2012, Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Iran was ready to restart talks in Turkey with the P5+1; that is, the UN Security Council five nuclear weapon states plus Germany. These talks have not yet begun.

Australian Government's response

There has been a substantial strengthening of EU, US, Canadian and Australian targeted financial sanctions and sanctions on the energy and petrochemical sectors to increase pressure on Iran to comply with its international obligations. Australia has robust sanctions in place to underline to Iran the need to comply with relevant UNSC and IAEA resolutions. Australia's trade with Iran has declined steeply in recent years as a result of the sanctions that we have imposed. As I said in January, Australia will implement additional sanctions parallel to those announced by the EU on 23 January, including the oil embargo.

The international community must give Iran a consistent message that its current refusal to comply with UNSC resolutions, and refusal to cooperate with the IAEA, is unacceptable. Australia remains committed to seeking a resolution of the Iran nuclear issue through diplomatic negotiation, and we urge Iran to follow through on its announced readiness to restart talks with the P5+1. While Iran continues to state it is prepared to participate in fresh talks, we are yet to see this lead to any meaningful substantive negotiations.

The peace, security and stability of the region, and more broadly, depend on such negotiations being conducted and being concluded successfully. I will be conveying this message to Tehran through Australia's Ambassador to Iran.

I ask leave of the House to move a motion to enable the member for Curtin to speak for 13½ minutes.

Leave granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent Ms J I Bishop (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) speaking in reply to the ministerial statement for a period not exceeding 13½ minutes.

Question agreed to.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for facilitating, via this ministerial statement, this opportunity to speak again to the House on the issue of Syria and also Iran. Since speaking on this issue previously I have had the opportunity to meet with the Syrian charge in my office and to express to him directly the views of the coalition, as articulated in my response to the ministerial statement last week.

The world is rightly aghast at the ongoing violence in Syria. Ongoing reports of indiscriminate killing of unarmed civilians, including women and children, are abhorrent. There is a solution to this crisis. President Assad can order his troops to stop shooting and shelling the Syrian people. He does not need a United Nations Security Council resolution or, indeed, a General Assembly resolution to end the violence. He can step aside and allow a civilian government to form.

However, the situation may have approached or gone beyond the point where a negotiated settlement is possible, due to the ongoing brutality of the Assad regime as it seeks to cling to power. There has been a serious escalation of the conflict in recent days, with the bombing of security compounds in the city of Aleppo and reports of 28 people killed. In the fog of this war the Assad regime has claimed the blasts were the work of so-called opposition terrorists, while opposition groups blame the regime itself. There have been further reports suggesting that al-Qaeda played a role in the attacks, although the truth may never be known. In addition, a senior military officer within the regime were shot dead outside his Damascus residence over the weekend, in a major breakdown of security within the regime's stronghold. This must have sent shock waves through an already volatile regime.

Given the dire situation facing Syria, it is deeply troubling that Syria's al-Assad regime has 'categorically rejected' a resolution of the Arab League which would have allowed for the deployment of a peacekeeping mission to end the cycle of violence in the country. After voting with China to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria, Russia has once again undermined international efforts to put pressure on the regime. The European Union nations supported the Arab League plan, while Russia is reportedly of the view that peacekeepers should only be deployed after the violence has stopped. The Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, has reportedly made the claim that the main stumbling blocks to a ceasefire are the opposition groups in Syria, which he claims are out of control. While peacekeepers would generally only be deployed after a ceasefire has been brokered, this would arguably be much easier to achieve if there were a united effort to isolate the regime. This would require Russia and, in particular, Iran to halt all forms of support and supplies of arms.

The Arab League has continued to show commendable leadership on this issue with its decision to suspend economic links with the Syrian regime. The fact that the regime fears a ceasefire appears to be indicative of its weakness, in that it fears any lessening of pressure on the Syrian people. This could confirm the assessment of Syrian military defector General Mustafa Ahmad al-Sheikh, who has claimed that the regime is close to collapse and has said:

The situation is now very dangerous and threatens to explode across the whole region, like a nuclear reaction.

China has continued to take a conciliatory line, with foreign ministry representative Liu Weimin reportedly saying:

China hopes all relevant parties can keep dialogue and communication to play a positive and constructive role in politically resolving the Syrian issue and easing the country's tension.

United Kingdom Foreign Secretary William Hague has also expressed concern about the deployment of Western forces to Syria, but did not rule out supporting a peacekeeping mission involving Arab League nations. He said:

I don't see the way forward in Syria as being Western boots on the ground, in any form, including in peacekeeping form, but of course if such a concept could be made viable we will be supporting it in all the usual ways.

While Russia has played the highly questionable role of spoiler in many efforts to achieve peace, the actions of Iran are more disturbing, with reports that hundreds of elite troops are on the ground in Syria.

There is no way to know precisely whether these forces are directly involved in the crackdown on civilians, however it is safe to assume that they are providing logistical support at the very least. One thing is certain and that is that these forces are not working to bring peace to the nation and are acting in support of a regime that has lost all legitimacy to rule. These Iranian forces must be immediately withdrawn from Syria. Similarly, Russia must halt all arms sales and any other forms of economic cooperation with the regime.

One complicating factor in recent days has been the attempted intervention of al-Qaeda, whose leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has released a video message in support of the uprising. The motivation of al-Qaeda is not clear, but we can safely assume it is not in support of the eventual formation of a democratic civilian government. It may be that al-Qaeda merely sees the opportunity to sow the seeds of chaos in the hope that it spreads beyond the borders of Syria and leads to an environment of greater lawlessness within which al-Qaeda can flourish.

The solution to this violence is in the bloodied hands of President Assad, who must call a halt to the attacks and allow for the formation of a civilian government. In recent days, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has described the situation in Syria as 'deplorable' and said the government had failed in one of its primary obligations, which is to protect its own people. The commissioner said:

I am very distressed that the continued ruthless repression and deliberate stirring of sectarian tensions might soon plunge Syria into civil war. The longer the international community fails to take action, the more the civilian population will suffer from countless atrocities.

While the situation in Syria adds to regional instability, Iran has been accused overnight of being behind attempted killings of Israeli diplomats in the Indian city of New Delhi and the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi. If true, this represents a serious escalation of the tensions between Iran and Israel. Israel has publicly accused Iran of orchestrating the attacks either through its proxy Hezbollah or directly through its own agents. Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is reportedly of the view:

Iran is behind these attacks. It is the biggest exporter of terror in the world.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lieberman said overnight that Israel will not tolerate such attacks on its diplomats.

While US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has condemned the attacks, the United States has not yet, at the time of speaking, identified Iran as the suspected culprit. Iran has denied any involvement. The attack in New Delhi has left a 42-year-old female diplomat in a critical condition and reportedly involved the attachment of a magnetic bomb to the outside of her vehicle. The attack in Georgia failed when the bomb was detected on the car before it detonated and was defused.

The use of a magnetic bomb appears to be direct payback for the reported use of similar devices to assassinate Iranian scientists working on Iran's nuclear program. Tensions are rising rapidly in response to Iran's nuclear program as well as suspicions that it will lead to the development of a nuclear weapon. United States Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta recently said that he believed Israel would attack Iran, possibly within a couple of months. For Israelis, this is a question of their very survival, with the Iranian leadership regularly talking about wiping Israel off the map and worse.

Iran's defence strategy has been to try and convince the United States and Israel that an attack would cost more than either nation is prepared to pay. The key issue at present is the threat that Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz to traffic for oil tankers, which would have serious implications for the global economy, with about one-third of seaborne traded oil passing through the strait. There are questions about Iran's ability to close the strait for any significant length of time, particularly with the United States Fifth Fleet based in the Persian Gulf at Bahrain. However, Iran claims to have large stockpiles of shipping mines and has developed a range of missiles that could be used against shipping traffic. Iran has conducted extensive naval exercises in the Persian Gulf to showcase its fleet of smaller fast boats equipped with torpedoes that could be used to threaten the larger US warships.

While Iran would lack the ability to sustain open conflict against the United States for any length of time, there are fears that it has the capability to severely disrupt global oil supplies at a time when the world economy is particularly fragile. During recent discussions I have had with a number of international experts on strategic issues, concern was raised with me about the potential for an Israeli air strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. The concern was described as 'stepping onto the ladder of escalation' that could yield unpredictable results.

The solution to these growing tensions lies with the government of Iran. It must comply with all requests of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which last November called for a progress report on compliance by next month. The IAEA board of governors also agreed to a resolution titled 'Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and relevant provisions of the UN Security Council Resolutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran'. This resolution called on Iran to comply with all its obligations to the IAEA and to the conditions imposed by United Nations Security Council resolutions. While the IAEA board of governors continues to support a diplomatic solution to the problem of Iran's noncompliance, it is clear from the statements of Secretary Panetta that the United States believes the time is fast approaching when Israel may decide to launch a strike against Iran.

The situation has not been helped by Iranian President Ahmadinejad, who said this week that he would be announcing further nuclear developments in coming days and weeks. That makes the issue of Iran's compliance critical to not only Iran and Israel but also the rest of the world. The coalition joins with the government in urging the Iranian leadership to meet all its obligations. It is imperative that Iran prove that its nuclear activities are only for peaceful and civilian purposes. That will require it to be open and transparent with IAEA inspectors to ensure it can adequately explain all its nuclear activities.

Australia has continued to play its role with the international community to bring pressure to bear on the Iranian regime. A range of sanctions have been imposed since 2006, consistent with the requirements of the United Nations Security Council, but a range of autonomous sanctions have also been imposed. A comprehensive range of sanctions relate to arms sales, financial transactions, dealings with certain Iranian companies, travel bans and more.

Iran's typical response has been belligerence, with threats to close the Strait of Hormuz and threats against Israel. The international community is motivated by the urgent need to find a peaceful resolution to this brewing crisis. The implications of military conflict are too terrible to contemplate and it is important that the international community continues to be united in its condemnation of Iran's provocative behaviour and united in efforts to ensure that Iran complies with their international obligations.