Row over Hawke’s remarks on U.S.S.R.

Press, 30 November 1987, Page 11

Row over Hawke’s remarks on U.S.S.R.

NZPA-AAP Canberra As the Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, prepares to start his four-day visit to the Soviet Union a political row has erupted over his assertion that Australia would welcome “constructive” Soviet involvement in the AsiaPacific region. Delivering a speech in Singapore on Friday night, Mr Hawke said that while the Soviet Union’s actions in Afghanistan and Indochina would have to be watched closely, Australia welcomed signs that Soviet foreign policy was becoming “more imaginative and subtle”. "We will seek mutually beneficial co-operation with the Soviet Union in a sincere and open-minded way,” Mr Hawke said. The Federal Opposition has reacted with outrage to Mr Hawke’s comments, branding them as naive and dangerous views which threatened the stability of the region. The Opposition leader,

John Howard, said that Mr Hawke’s comments represented a “monumental error of judgement," and seriously undermined Australia’s Western alliance responsibilities. Mr Hawke, who is due to have talks with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Leningrad tomorrow, referred only briefly to Soviet activity in the AsiaPacific region in his speech in Singapore, saying Australia would welcome constructive Soviet political and economic involvement. Government sources told AAP that Mr Hawke was signalling to the Russians that commercial activities were welcome, provided they were not a cover for subversion.

While In Singapore, Mr Hawke also said in a local television interview that he would urge Mr Gorbachev to use the Soviet Union’s Influence with Vietnam to bring about the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from Kampuchea.