SA: Downer to ask Nauru to take more asylum seekers

AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-2001
SA: Downer to ask Nauru to take more asylum seekers

ADELAIDE, Dec 9 AAP - Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer is hopeful Nauru will
agree to accept more asylum seekers during his visit to the island nation.

Mr Downer is expected during his trip to South Pacific nations to ask Nauru President
Rene Harris to take 500 more asylum seekers for processing. The nation already accommodates
800 in camps.

Mr Downer said he hoped an agreement could be reached during the visit.

"But those negotiations are yet to be completed so that remains to be seen."

The foreign minister said he also would be looking for further ways Australia can help
Nauru overcome financial difficulties.

"The point here is that we've got to stop people smuggling, and the people smugglers.

"For as long as these people recognise that they can't make money out of bringing people
illegally to Australia then their business won't flourish and it will begin to close down."

Mr Downer said the smugglers would benefit if the so-called Pacific solution was abandoned
as sought by Opposition Leader Simon Crean and others.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd today said the government is breaking
an agreement with Nauru by asking it to take more refugees and called on it to review
the request.

"We need to establish quickly whether the terms of agreement between (former) defence
minister Peter Reith and President Harris of Nauru, when they took the first set of refugees,
have been breached by the Australian government," Mr Rudd said.

His call follows claims by a former United Nations official that the detention camps
on Nauru were "hell" and many asylum seekers were suffering great distress.

Mr Downer said the Pacific solution had contributed to reducing the number of boats
coming to Australia.

He said countries like Malaysia and Indonesia had also helped by cracking down on the
transporting of asylum seekers.

"The Indonesians and the Malaysians have been taking much more decisive action against
the people smugglers themselves and we appreciate that.

"The people smugglers now know that you can't make a quick buck out of bringing people
illegally to Australia.

"For example, the Malaysians during the course of last week deported an Iraqi people
smuggler from Malaysia. It was a good measure."

Mr Downer will visit Nauru, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Zealand during the course of his
trip, which begins tomorrow.

AAP jcs/nc/pw/bwl

KEYWORD: PACIFIC DOWNER

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