Hanson's views a threat to Aussie-RI ties<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Visiting Australian trade minister Mark Vaile
\non Thursday maintained that Canberra does not endorse the
\nstatements of Australian far-right politician Pauline Hanson,
\nwarning that her remarks could damage bilateral relations.<\/p>\n
\"We (the Australian government) will continue to oppose those
\npolicies as we have done in the past,\" Vaile told journalists
\nafter meeting with President Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid.<\/p>\n
Vaile said Hanson's calls for a halt of Australian aid to
\nJakarta could have \"a detrimental effect\" on economic and trade
\nrelationships between Indonesia and Australia \"if they turn into
\npolicies.\"<\/p>\n
Hanson, leader of the One Nation party, which advocates the
\ncessation of Asian migration to Australia, is trying to make a
\npolitical comeback in Australia.<\/p>\n
\"I think we've made it very clear that the views held by some
\nin Australia are not the views of the majority,\" Vaile said.<\/p>\n
Vaile also said that the President, \"has reaffirmed that he
\nwill be visiting Australia in April.\"<\/p>\n
\"President Wahid indicated to us he saw it very clearly that
\nafter something like 13 prime ministerial visits from Australia
\nto Indonesia since the last (Indonesian) presidential visit to
\nAustralia ... it was time that Indonesia reciprocated,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hanson said in Sydney on Thursday that Australia should halt
\nall assistance to Indonesia \"because they've openly burnt the
\nAustralian flag\".<\/p>\n
She was referring to protests outside the Australian embassy
\nin Jakarta in 1999 in the wake of the deployment of Australian
\npeacekeeping troops in East Timor.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Trade and Industry Minister Luhut Panjaitan, who
\nwas also present on Thursday, played down Hanson's comments
\nsaying that Jakarta \"is only listening to official statements
\nfrom the Australian government\".<\/p>\n
\"I don't see them (Hanson's views) as a problem. Trading is
\ntrading and so far President Gus Dur and Prime Minister (John
\nHoward) have good contact, so I think that is the bottom line,\"
\nLuhut said.<\/p>\n
Vaile is in Indonesia leading a delegation of representatives
\nfrom 16 Australian companies, who have total investments worth
\nsix billion Australian dollars in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We're looking at a further 1.3 billion dollars worth of
\ninvestment in Indonesia,\" he claimed.<\/p>\n
Later in the day, Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab said five of
\nAbdurrahman's foreign economic advisors were expected to meet
\nwith the President on Saturday.<\/p>\n
They include Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the
\nformer U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, former
\nJapanese ambassador to the United States Nobuo Matsunaga and
\nFrench banker Marc Vienot.<\/p>\n
Two other advisors, Saudi Arabia's Saleh Kamil and former U.S.
\nsecretary of state Henry Kissinger, will not attend the meeting,
\nAlwi said. (byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hansons-views-a-threat-to-aussie-ri-ties-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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