Welcome, wariness greet PM Howard<\/p>\n
Ian Timberlake, Agence France-Presse, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Words of welcome mixed with wariness across Asia on Monday as
\nAustralia's neighbors reacted to Prime Minister John Howard's re-
\nelection.<\/p>\n
While some countries look forward to tighter economic co-
\noperation with Australia, others express concern about what they
\nsee as Howard's interventionist foreign policy.<\/p>\n
Howard's crushing victory in Saturday's election propelled him
\nto a fourth term in office.<\/p>\n
Reaction was more cautious in Indonesia and Malaysia, where
\nobservers expressed hope Howard might modify an interventionist
\nforeign policy seen as too supportive of the United States.<\/p>\n
\"Under John Howard there is a perception in this country
\n(that) Howard just follows America,\" said Soedjati Djiwandono, of
\nthe Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-populated country, has
\nhad a sometimes tense relationship with its neighbor. Tension
\npeaked in 1999 when Australia led a multinational force into East
\nTimor after the Indonesian military and its militias unleashed a
\nscorched earth policy following the territory's vote for
\nindependence.<\/p>\n
\"I think the most important characteristic of Howard's foreign
\npolicy is being a deputy sheriff to the United States,\" said
\nKusnanto Anggoro, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully there will be some more understanding from Prime
\nMinister Howard to simply redirect or change the foreign policy.
\nIf that happens then I think it will be OK,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"It's back to square one, unless Howard changes his foreign
\npolicy,\" agreed Muhammad Agus Yusoff, a political scientist with
\nthe National University of Malaysia.<\/p>\n
In August, Indonesia's foreign ministry expressed concern
\nabout Australia's plan to equip its F\/A-18 Hornet warplanes with
\nnew long-range air-to-surface missiles. The ministry called it an
\n\"offensive capability\" not a defensive one.<\/p>\n
In September, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer was
\nforced to allay regional concerns after Howard said he would not
\nhesitate to launch a pre-emptive strike on a terrorist base
\noverseas.<\/p>\n
After Malaysia took exception to the comments Downer
\nspecifically ruled out any such attacks on Indonesia, the
\nPhilippines, Malaysia or Singapore.<\/p>\n
Howard has already reappointed Downer to the foreign policy
\nportfolio and announced that he himself would meet soon with
\nIndonesia's president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.<\/p>\n
Soedjati said Susilo will bring a more \"well-mannered, more
\nsensitive\" approach than President Megawati Soekarnoputri to
\nrelations with Australia.<\/p>\n
China said on Monday it was willing to work with a Howard
\ngovernment and would make efforts to bring bilateral relations to
\na new level.<\/p>\n
\"We are willing to make common efforts with the new Australian
\ngovernment to continue to push forward toward future developments
\nin the comprehensive and cooperative relations between the two
\nnations,\" China's foreign ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n
In Bangkok, Thailand's foreign ministry said the kingdom's
\nclose relationship with Howard's administration should continue.<\/p>\n
In July, the two countries signed a free trade agreement which
\nPrime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said showed Australia's
\nincreasing economic involvement with Southeast Asia. It was the
\nfirst deal of its kind between a developed and developing nation
\nin the region.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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