1. The United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and Secretary of Defense,
Donald Rumsfeld, and the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander
Downer, and the Minister for Defence, Robert Hill, met in Washington on October
29, 2002 to discuss regional and global challenges. The meeting came at a
time when the bilateral security alliance has never been stronger.

Global War on Terrorism

2. The terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001 were viewed
by both the United States and Australia as an abhorrent assault on the core
values of democracy and freedom, which both nations hold dear and have fought
to defend. The common cause and shared values reflected in the ANZUS Treaty
underpinned agreement by Australia and the United States to invoke - for the
first time in its fifty year history - the mutual security provisions of the
Treaty.

3. The terrorist bombings committed in Bali, Indonesia on 12 October 2002
clearly demonstrated the need for continued steadfastness and resolve in the
Global War on Terrorism. The United States and Australia condemned this repugnant
act of violence. They expressed their strongest resolve to hunt down the perpetrators
and bring them to justice. They committed to work with the Government of Indonesia
to find those responsible and more broadly to combat the threat of terrorism.
Recognizing that no country can be immune to terrorism, Australia and the
United States called upon all governments to adopt stringent measures to end
all forms of terrorism and to deny to terrorists the means to conduct their
insidious activities.

4. The United States and Australia reaffirmed their undiminished support
for the Global War on Terrorism, and in particular the effort to bring peace,
stability and democracy to Afghanistan and end its status as a haven for terrorists.
Both sides welcomed their deep bilateral cooperation on counter-terrorism
measures, including in the areas of diplomacy, law enforcement, customs, financial
controls and intelligence. In particular, they strongly reconfirmed their
willingness to coordinate efforts to assist countries in the Asia-Pacific
region with counter-terrorism measures, including with capacity building,
training and cooperation.

The New Global Security Environment

5. The United States and Australia agreed that the proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction and the means for their delivery, including ballistic
missiles and cruise missiles, posed the most significant threat to global
strategic stability. In particular, the United States and Australia agreed
that the potential for terrorist groups to gain possession of WMD and missiles
underlined the urgency of preventing their proliferation. They agreed to strengthen
their efforts in this area, including through increased bilateral coordination,
assistance to transshipment states, the development of ad hoc coalitions where
appropriate, and the strengthening of both plurilateral export control regimes
and relevant multilateral instruments.

Both countries agreed that maintaining effective deterrence required offensive
and defensive measures, in parallel with effective counter-proliferation measures
and nuclear arms reductions. The United States restated its commitment to
continued close consultations with Australia on U.S. missile defense plans.
Australia reaffirmed its strong commitment to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
and the treaty's verification system. The United States confirmed that it
would maintain its moratorium on nuclear testing and would continue to support
establishment of the International Monitoring System to help detect possible
nuclear tests.

The United States and Australia called on all states to refrain from conducting
nuclear explosive tests and to maintain existing moratoriums.

6. The United States and Australia restated their firm commitment to work
closely together to ensure that Iraq complies unconditionally with the terms
of all United Nations Security Council resolutions, including the elimination
of all Iraqi nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, cessation of any further
efforts by Iraq to develop such weapons, elimination of Iraq's prohibited
ballistic missile programs and cessation of firing at coalition aircraft.

Regional Challenges and Opportunities

7. The United States and Australia recognized the significant contribution
made by bilateral alliance relationships and multilateral security arrangements
to maintaining security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. They agreed
to strengthen cooperation in the region to address terrorist threats. Both
countries welcomed APEC's initiatives on counter-terrorism, including the
statements made by APEC leaders at their recent meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico.
They also welcomed the development with key regional countries of bilateral
arrangements directed at fighting terrorism. They further welcomed the work
of the ASEAN Regional Forum in enhancing regional security dialogue, and on
counter-terrorism, confidence-building measures and developing a preventive
diplomacy role. Both countries viewed positively the inaugural Shangri-la
Defence Ministers' Dialogue held in Singapore in June 2002 and welcomed continuation
of the Dialogue, noting its potential to add a useful new dimension to security
architecture in the Asia-Pacific region.

8. The United States and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to work closely
with the countries of South East Asia to enhance the stability, security and
prosperity of that region. Both governments reaffirmed the importance of regional
forums, including APEC, for encouraging economic growth and development.

9. The United States and Australia welcomed Japan's continuing economic reform
efforts and its increasing contribution to regional and global security. They
welcomed China's more active participation in global institutions. The two
governments urged a peaceful resolution of the differences between the People's
Republic of China and Taiwan and reaffirmed that the use of military force
to settle those differences would be unacceptable.

10. Both governments called on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DPRK) to verifiably and immediately dismantle all nuclear weapons programs.
They underlined that if the DPRK took this step, it would stand to benefit
in many ways, including through peaceful relations with its neighbours and
greater participation in the international community. They further urged the
DPRK to halt its missile programs and foreign sales of missile technology
and reduce its threatening conventional military posture.

11. The United States and Australia expressed appreciation for the contributions
of India and Pakistan to the Global War on Terrorism. They called on India
and Pakistan to take steps to further reduce the prospect of a nuclear arms
race on the sub-continent and the risk of a nuclear exchange, and urged India
and Pakistan to resume dialogue as soon as possible to resolve outstanding
issues, including Kashmir.

Defense Relations

12. The two governments reaffirmed the importance of strategic engagement
by the United States in the Asia-Pacific region and the alliance's contribution
to regional security. Both countries agreed that the benefits of defense cooperation
under the alliance were clearly demonstrated through an outstanding level
of practical cooperation on Afghanistan, including in the areas of combined
military operations and intelligence exchange. Both countries looked forward
to an improved capacity to operate together as a consequence of the results
of the ongoing Interoperability Review, the agreement on the Joint Strike
Fighter, and cooperation on the development of other major capability enhancements.
Both countries place a high priority on further improving interoperability
between their defense forces. They agreed to strengthen cooperation in strategic
planning, capability planning and development of new concepts and technologies.
A future review will recommend measures to enhance the ability of the defense
forces to work effectively together in combined and coalition operations.
This will be addressed at AUSMIN 2003.

Trade

13. The United States and Australia agreed that deeper economic ties between
both countries would complement their partnership on global and Asia-Pacific
trade and would strengthen the foundations of the alliance. Both countries
agreed that they should continue working through the issues that will lay
the foundation for a US-Australia Free Trade Agreement that would be a concrete
expression of, and would serve to promote, mutual economic interests and common
values.

Conclusion

14. Australia will host the next round of AUSMIN consultations in Australia
in 2003.

<AUSMIN Index>