Aussie govt red-faced over gaffe
SYDNEY: The government acknowledged yesterday that it accidentally made public a secret list of Australia's treaty negotiations - an embarrassing blunder that could jeopardize some sensitive relationships.
The list of more than 200 bilateral treaties under negotiation or review includes a pending agreement with China to increase uranium exports and a revised defense treaty being hammered out with Indonesia. The document was erroneously entered into Parliament's public record.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said in a statement yesterday that his ministry "is in the process of advising each of the relevant countries that the document was released in error" on Wednesday.
"The minister has and does accept responsibility for this error," the statement said.
The 58-page list is not classified, and it provides scant detail about most negotiations. But its cover page carries a warning that such negotiations are "potentially sensitive" and that the list should not be "placed on the public record." According to international convention, even the existence of such negotiations should not be revealed without the permission of both countries, it said.
Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop described the slip-up as a "shocking breach of security that will undermine Australia's international reputation."
But Trade Minister Simon Crean said he did not expect countries to complain because most of the information in the document had already been known to the public.
"I don't think it will raise concerns, but if there are concerns, we'll deal with them," Crean told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.
Despite Australia's imposing financial and trade sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, the document says "negotiations are ongoing" with Teheran on an agreement to promote investment.
But a Foreign Ministry official said late yesterday that those negotiations were "effectively moribund" and were not being pursued by Australia.
Australia proposed a prisoner transfer pact with the Philippines in July last year but Manila had yet to respond, the document said.
Australia made a similar approach to Singapore, but the city-state replied that "it is not able to commence negotiations at this time," it said.
AP
(China Daily 05/15/2009 page12)
