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Joe Kelly, July 08, 2010 - The Australian
FOREIGN Minister Stephen Smith has defended Julia Gillard over not yet consulting East Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao about an asylum-seeker centre.
The Australian Prime Minister has been criticised for discussing a regional processing centre with East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta rather than Mr Gusmao before she announced her plan at the Lowy Institute on Tuesday.
Last night on the ABC's Lateline program Ms Gillard was grilled on the issue, claiming she thought the “appropriate thing was to speak to the President at this stage”.
This morning Mr Smith defended that judgement and maintained the government was proceeding with its asylum-seeker plan “in an orderly way”.
“President Ramos-Horta is more than just a head of state; that's quite clear from the way in which he operates and the way in which he works closely in conjunction with Prime Minister Gusmao,” he said on ABC radio.
Joe Kelly, July 08, 2010 - The Australian
FOREIGN Minister Stephen Smith has defended Julia Gillard over not yet consulting East Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao about an asylum-seeker centre.
The Australian Prime Minister has been criticised for discussing a regional processing centre with East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta rather than Mr Gusmao before she announced her plan at the Lowy Institute on Tuesday.
Last night on the ABC's Lateline program Ms Gillard was grilled on the issue, claiming she thought the “appropriate thing was to speak to the President at this stage”.
This morning Mr Smith defended that judgement and maintained the government was proceeding with its asylum-seeker plan “in an orderly way”.
“President Ramos-Horta is more than just a head of state; that's quite clear from the way in which he operates and the way in which he works closely in conjunction with Prime Minister Gusmao,” he said on ABC radio.
“And there's nothing inappropriate with Prime Minister Gillard having that conversation with the President.”
Mr Gusmao and Dr Ramos-Horta will meet today to debate the Australian plan.
East Timor's Deputy Prime Minister, Jose Luis Guterres, yesterday indicated his country would be unable and unwilling to accept the proposal.
Mr Smith said it was not fully appreciated that the government was at the beginning of a new “conversation” with East Timor about the regional processing centre.
However, he acknowledged the final decision lay with Dili.
`In the end what East Timor decides in terms of whether it wants to take part will be a matter for the government of East Timor,” he said.
“It's no surprise to me that there might be different views expressed in East Timor, just as there'll be different views expressed in Australia, just as there'll be different views expressed throughout the region.”
Mr Smith defended the manner in which Ms Gillard had tackled the asylum-seeker problem, dismissing suggestions the government had not canvassed the idea in an orderly way.
“We are doing things in an orderly way,” he said.
“If we weren't doing things in an orderly way then we would have announced something unilaterally and bilaterally. A range of people and countries were alerted to the Prime Minister's speech in advance of its delivery.”
Meanwhile, Tony Abbott suggested the Prime Minister had not consulted Mr Smith before she made her policy announcement.
“I don't know that she consulted with Stephen Smith, the Foreign Minister, before she made her announcement about a refugee processing centre in East Timor,” the opposition leader said.
“Because Stephen Smith would have been able to tell her that you've got to talk to the government. Not the President.”
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