- Jul 2, 2018
- 3,615
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MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS |
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: SECRET |
| 20 October 2008 |
| Dear Minister Laurent, As I wrap up my trip to Korea I am left asking, where to next? The Australian Government is eager to continue a diplomatic blitz to build ties with likeminded nations beyond the traditional scope of the United States or the United Kingdom. I would deeply appreciate it if my next stop could be to Paris to meet with you and to finally have a meeting which has been years in the waiting. The previous French administration under the monarch was less than receptive to Australia, for reasons still unbeknownst to me, and became more of an adversary in the Pacific region rather than an ally. It resembled more of the era of President Mitterrand when relations became frosty due to the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior and continued nuclear tests within the Pacific region. We are committed to continue to ensure the South Pacific remains weapons of mass destruction free and we are continually monitoring proliferation of such weapons in the region and we hope France will join us in that effort. France is certainly, in our eyes, the second most important security player within the South Pacific region after Australia. Being in close cooperation with each other would ensure regional stability well within the future and we certainly don't want to see a situation like what developed in New Caledonia to develop again, not because the instability directly threatened Australia's security but because, without naming names, it brought in global players which did begin to threaten Australia's security. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Kevin Rudd. |
Parliament House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6277 7700 |
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Bruno
