Post by Flash on Dec 6, 2007 21:24:36 GMT -5
US envoy gets on well with Rudd's team
THE top US government representative to visit Australia since Kevin Rudd's election has welcomed the Prime Minister's promise of continuing close co-operation on global and regional security issues, including Iraq and Afghanistan. US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns said yesterday he had "excellent discussions" with senior ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon.
"We are very much looking forward to working with this Government. The alliance with Australia for the US is one of our greatest international priorities," Mr Burns said after a breakfast meeting hosted by US ambassador Robert MacCallum at the embassy in Canberra. "I think we are going to work very well with this new Government. We look forward to constant interaction with the new Government. These are very impressive people, very skilful."
Mr Burns's three-day visit is focused on the latest round of the Trilateral Security Dialogue involving US, Japanese and Australian officials, as well as bilateral talks with Australian ministers. Mr Burns said Washington was well aware of the Rudd Government's commitment to withdraw Australia's battle group from southern Iraq by mid-2008. "Those specific discussions about timetables and so on are ahead of us, but obviously there's a continuing job that needs to be done," he said.
"There is the priority effort of trying to help support the Government of Iraq to develop its capacities of governance and to deal with all the significant issues that the Government in Iraq has to deal with. "There's the effort to give political support ... to give economic support, to see greater support from the Arab countries as well as European countries."
Mr Burns said he had discussions with Mr Fitzgibbon and Mr Smith about what Australia and the US could do to assist the Afghanistan Government. "We're working well together on the military side. I also sense in the new Government a great interest in working with the Afghan Government," he said. "I sensed in our conversations over the past two days a great interest by Australia in maintaining its military commitment, but doing a lot on the economic side as well, and we welcome that."
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THE top US government representative to visit Australia since Kevin Rudd's election has welcomed the Prime Minister's promise of continuing close co-operation on global and regional security issues, including Iraq and Afghanistan. US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns said yesterday he had "excellent discussions" with senior ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon.
"We are very much looking forward to working with this Government. The alliance with Australia for the US is one of our greatest international priorities," Mr Burns said after a breakfast meeting hosted by US ambassador Robert MacCallum at the embassy in Canberra. "I think we are going to work very well with this new Government. We look forward to constant interaction with the new Government. These are very impressive people, very skilful."
Mr Burns's three-day visit is focused on the latest round of the Trilateral Security Dialogue involving US, Japanese and Australian officials, as well as bilateral talks with Australian ministers. Mr Burns said Washington was well aware of the Rudd Government's commitment to withdraw Australia's battle group from southern Iraq by mid-2008. "Those specific discussions about timetables and so on are ahead of us, but obviously there's a continuing job that needs to be done," he said.
"There is the priority effort of trying to help support the Government of Iraq to develop its capacities of governance and to deal with all the significant issues that the Government in Iraq has to deal with. "There's the effort to give political support ... to give economic support, to see greater support from the Arab countries as well as European countries."
Mr Burns said he had discussions with Mr Fitzgibbon and Mr Smith about what Australia and the US could do to assist the Afghanistan Government. "We're working well together on the military side. I also sense in the new Government a great interest in working with the Afghan Government," he said. "I sensed in our conversations over the past two days a great interest by Australia in maintaining its military commitment, but doing a lot on the economic side as well, and we welcome that."
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