Mixed messages on ‘dumb’ refugee deal
Print Edition
AUSTRALIA’S Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull insisted yesterday that a deal struck with former US President Barack Obama’s administration that would allow mostly Muslim refugees rejected by Australia to be resettled in the United States was still on, despite President Donald Trump dubbing the agreement “dumb” and vowing to review it.
The conflicting messages came hours after The Washington Post published a story detailing a tense exchange between Trump and Turnbull during their first telephone call as national leaders.
The newspaper reported that during the call, an angry Trump dubbed the agreement “the worst deal ever” and accused Turnbull of seeking to export the “next Boston bombers” — a reference to Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, US citizens born in Kyrgyzstan, who set off two bombs at the 2013 Boston marathon.
The Australian leader declined to comment on the report, which also said Trump abruptly ended the expected hour-long conversation after 25 minutes as Turnbull attempted to steer the conversation to other topics.
“It’s better that these things — these conversations — are conducted candidly, frankly, privately,” Turnbull told reporters.
Later, however, he denied during an interview with Sydney radio station 2GB that Trump had hung up on him, saying the conversation had ended “courteously.”
Turnbull told reporters the strength of the relationship between the two nations was evident in that Trump had agreed to honor the deal to resettle refugees from among around 1,600 asylum seekers, most of whom are on island camps on the Pacific nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Australia has refused to accept them and instead pays for them to be housed on the impoverished islands.
“I can assure you the relationship is very strong,” Turnbull said. “The fact we received the assurance that we did, the fact that it was confirmed, the very extensive engagement we have with the new administration underlines the closeness of the alliance. But as Australians know me very well: I stand up for Australia in every forum — public or private.”
‘I don’t want these people’
Yet soon after Turnbull made those comments to reporters, Trump took to Twitter to slam the deal.
“Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why?” Trump tweeted. “I will study this dumb deal!”
Trump, who a day before the conversation with Turnbull had signed an executive order suspending the admission of refugees, complained during the call that he was “going to get killed” politically by the deal, The Washington Post reported. “I don’t want these people,” Trump reportedly said.
Trump also told Turnbull that he had spoken to four world leaders that day and that: “This is the worst call by far.”
Trump told Turnbull that it was “my intention” to honor the agreement, a phrase designed to leave the president wriggle room to back out of the deal, the newspaper reported.
There have been mixed messages from Washington all week on the state of the agreement. White House spokesman Sean Spicer confirmed on Wednesday that Trump had agreed to honor the deal.
But a White House statement sent to Australian Broadcasting Corp yesterday said: “The president is still considering whether or not he will move forward with this deal at this time.”
The US State Department said in a statement later yesterday that the America would honor the agreement “out of respect for close ties to our Australian ally and friend.”
“President Trump’s decision to honor the refugee agreement has not changed ... Spicer’s comments stand,” it said.
The ABC spoke to senior Australian government sources who said The Washington Post report was “substantially accurate.” Australian officials said the conversation was “robust” and “shorter than expected,” while one minister told the ABC that “Trump hates this deal.”
Turnbull has likened himself to Trump in that both are wealthy businessmen who came to politics late in life. Turnbull also has a reputation for blunt conversation and tough negotiations behind closed doors.
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