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Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Page: 383


Ms Julie Bishop asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs, in writing, on 16 November 2009:

Has he raised any concerns with the Ambassador of Venezuela about nuclear proliferation; if so, on what date(s), and at what level.


Mr Stephen Smith (Minister for Foreign Affairs) —The answer to the honourable member’s question is as follows:

No. However, on 10 September 2009, I (Mr Smith) addressed a meeting of the nine Canberra-based Latin American Ambassadors, at which the then-Ambassador-designate for Venezuela was present. During the course of this meeting I expressed the Government’s support for cooperation between Australia and Latin American countries on a range of issues, including nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

In addition, the Government has consistently reaffirmed its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and the need for action on both issues in international forums of which Venezuela is a member, including the United Nations General Assembly, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Conference on Disarmament.