FED: Spying charge a worrying development: CARE

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-1999
FED: Spying charge a worrying development: CARE

CANBERRA, April 13 AAP - Belgrade's intention to charge two Australian aid workers detained
in Yugoslavia with spying set a dangerous precedent, aid agency CARE Australia said today.

Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said today that CARE Australia aid workers Steve
Pratt and Peter Wallace were safe and well and being held in the same location.

However, they would be charged with spying by Belgrade before being granted consular
access, Mr Downer said.

CARE's overseas operations director, Robert Yallop, said today that this was a worrying
prospect for aid workers around the world.

"If the proposed charges are based upon the obviously erroneous information that was
presented yesterday, in that Steve Pratt had been providing information to sources outside of
Yugoslavia, then we are into a very slippery slope of falsehood upon falsehood," Mr Yallop
told ABC Radio.

He said the aid agency welcomed efforts by its chairman and former Australian prime
minister Malcolm Fraser to seek Russia's help in securing the workers' release.

Mr Fraser is due to meet Russia's deputy Foreign Minister, Grigori Karasin, as he starts a
round of talks in Moscow aimed at securing support for the release of the two Australians.

"If there is an opportunity that the Russian authorities may be able to assist in securing
the immediate release of Steve Pratt and Peter Wallace and allowing humanitarian aid workers
around the world to be respected for what they are - without false accusations - then we would
welcome that opportunity as we would every other avenue," Mr Yallop said.

He also stressed that consular access to the pair would be crucial to establishing whether
pressure had been placed on Mr Pratt to secure his alleged confession to spying, broadcast on
Yugoslav television.

AAP rft/bm

KEYWORD: KOSOVO CARE YALLOP (CARRIED EARLIER)

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