Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I am very grateful for the question because I did deceive the house when I gave that answer about the impact of this cancellation. I referred to one conversation I had with foreign minister Kim of South Korea. I mentioned that in that cordial conversation, held only days before I answered the question in the Senate, he had not raised the question of this contract. It was not as full and, I confess, as honest an answer as I might have given. I neglected—

Senator Abetz interjecting—

Was that an interjection? I neglected to draw the attention of the Senate to no fewer than four other conversations with the foreign minister of South Korea where the matter had not been raised with him. One of them was when he came here to Canberra, three or four months ago I would say, for bilateral discussions. The matter did not figure in those discussions.

Another meeting was in New York in September, where we discussed a range of issues. He did not raise that matter. There was a telephone conversation not long after I assumed this job where, again, he did not raise the matter. If it were a matter of bilateral concern—