{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1112339,
        "msgid": "mega-wants-realistic-ties-with-australia-1447893297",
        "date": "2001-08-13 00:00:00",
        "title": "Mega wants realistic ties with Australia",
        "author": null,
        "source": "JP",
        "tags": null,
        "topic": null,
        "summary": "Mega wants realistic ties with Australia JAKARTA (JP): Australian Prime Minister John Howard arrived here for a working visit on Sunday in a bid to jump start relations with the new Indonesian government. Both Howard and President Megawati Soekarnoputri after a brief tete-a-tete signaled their desire to establish a solid basis for bilateral ties based on a realistic approach to the respective conditions faced by the two neighbors.",
        "content": "<p>Mega wants realistic ties with Australia<\/p>\n<p>JAKARTA (JP): Australian Prime Minister John Howard arrived<br>\nhere for a working visit on Sunday in a bid to jump start<br>\nrelations with the new Indonesian government.<\/p>\n<p>Both Howard and President Megawati Soekarnoputri after a brief<br>\ntete-a-tete signaled their desire to establish a solid basis for<br>\nbilateral ties based on a realistic approach to the respective<br>\nconditions faced by the two neighbors.<\/p>\n<p>State Secretary Bambang Kesowo told reporters that Megawati<br>\n\"hopes the two nations can be more realistic in facing various<br>\nproblems.\"<\/p>\n<p>Howard arrived in a commercial carrier and landed at Soekarno-<br>\nHatta International Airport just before 6 p.m. He was greeted by<br>\nIndonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda.<\/p>\n<p>The visit is extremely symbolic given the context of the<br>\nIndonesian political scene which saw Megawati appointed President<br>\njust a fortnight ago and the new Cabinet established 24 hours<br>\nearlier.<\/p>\n<p>The timing of the visit, the first foreign head of state since<br>\nMegawati's ascendance, helps to further patch up jarred<br>\ndiplomatic ties between Jakarta and Canberra following the East<br>\nTimor debacle in 1999.<\/p>\n<p>President Abdurrahman Wahid in June became the first<br>\nIndonesian leader to visit Australia in two-and-a-half decades.<\/p>\n<p>After separate courtesy calls on Megawati and Vice President<br>\nHamzah Haz, Howard also told journalists that both leaders wanted<br>\ngood relations with Australia.<\/p>\n<p>\"We recognize there have been some differences in the past,<br>\nbut importantly there's a great deal of residual goodwill,\" he<br>\nsaid while stressing that people should not expect too much too<br>\nsoon.<\/p>\n<p>Howard and Megawati are said to be holding official bilateral<br>\ntalks on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Both Bambang Kesowo and Hassan Wirayuda noted that the talks<br>\nare expected to touch on a wide range of bilateral issues<br>\nincluding East Timor and Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n<p>However the focus of the discussion is expected to be on ways<br>\nto foster improved bilateral ties both through government<br>\ncooperation and people-to-people contacts.<\/p>\n<p>Howard is also due to meet with People's Consultative Assembly<br>\nSpeaker Amien Rais and House of Representatives Speaker Akbar<br>\nTandjung before he returns home on Monday afternoon. (06\/mds)<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mega-wants-realistic-ties-with-australia-1447893297",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}