Fed: Aust wants to strengthen trade with Mideast - Vaile
CANBERRA, April 13 AAP - Australia hoped to send a trade delegation to Iraq after diplomaticposts were set up postwar, the federal government said today.
Trade Minister Mark Vaile said there was no evidence of a diminishing trading relationshipwith the Middle East because of the war.
Australia hoped to establish a diplomatic post in Kuwait and then in Iraq, he said.
"We will be going again this year to the region," Mr Vaile told the Ten Network.
"As far as Iraq is concerned, first phase will be to establish a diplomatic post andrepresentatives from Australia from Austrade and the like in Kuwait and then in Iraq.
"There will be ultimately an officials-led delegation into the country.
"And at the appropriate time I certainly would like to lead a business delegation over there."
Mr Vaile said Australia has an $8 billion a year trading relationship with the MiddleEast region which it wanted to strengthen.
"We are currently entering into discussions with officials from the United Arab Emiratesabout a prospective free trade agreement with that country," he said.
"We want to deepen and strengthen our linkages with that part of the world."
Mr Vaile said Australia received a positive reception in Iran, with Australian miningcompanies expressing interest in the country.
He also confirmed Australia was interested in taking a lead role in the agriculturalside of an interim Iraq administration.
"We see one of the critical contributions that we can make in terms of the reconstructionprocess ... being in the agricultural sector," Mr Vaile said.
"We have a significant relationship with the region and expertise in agriculture andwe see that we can be of great benefit with our expertise and technical capacity in assistingthe Iraqis get agricultural industries up and running."
On the issue of wheat trade with Iraq, Mr Vaile said the government was confident itcould seek UN assurances that wheat contracts to Iraq via the Oil for Food program wouldbe honoured.
AAP lm/sek/jlw
KEYWORD: IRAQ CONTRACTS AUST LEAD
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