Alwi: RI-Australia matters to be settled quietly
Alwi: RI-Australia matters to be settled quietly
JAKARTA (JP): Foreign minister Alwi Shihab said on Friday
Jakarta and Canberra would settle delicate matters quietly behind
the scenes to avoid them becoming public issues which could
further damage relations between the two countries.
While transparency is the popular catchword in current
government affairs, Alwi obviously felt that openness regarding
such issues would hamper Australian-Indonesian relations.
He swore to keep contentious issues hidden from the public
eye.
"I'll only call you (the media) in when there are good and
happy things to report. If there are unpleasant matters than
there's no need," he told journalists.
He did not explain whether keeping contentious issues hidden
from the public would deceive people about the true state of
relations.
Alwi added that during a meeting with his visiting Australian
counterpart Alexander Downer last month, the two sides had agreed
to settle outstanding issues discreetly.
"I've promised that such matters would be settled quietly,"
Alwi asserted.
His comments came on the heels of reports last week that the
foreign ministry had sent a diplomatic note to the Australian
Embassy asking it to officially explain the allegation that
Australian military planes had entered Indonesian airspace over
the Maluku islands in November.
The Australian Embassy here quickly denied that any Australian
airplanes had passed through Indonesian airspace without
permission.
Australian Ambassador John McCarthy met with Alwi on Friday
morning to officially present Canberra's denial.
McCarthy also met Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono on
Friday to discuss various bilateral issues.
Later on Friday afternoon Alwi said the matter was now closed.
He did not elaborate what further steps would be taken, adding
only that Indonesia's report would be kept as "information" for
the Australian side.
He then told journalists that he regretted that the note had
been leaked to the press, and pledged that such a fiasco would
not be repeated.
"This (the leak) should not happen again!" he said.
"I don't know from where it came. Maybe it was from the
foreign ministry, maybe from the embassy or even from the courier
who delivered the letter," he said.
Alwi's stance of playing down the alleged infringement by
Australian air force planes is in stark contrast to that of
Indonesian military and defense officials, who have complained
several times in the past about Australian planes passing through
Indonesian airspace.
Diplomatic ties between Jakarta and Canberra are only starting
to improve from a rocky period following events in East Timor.
Defense cooperation has been particularly strained following
Indonesia's decision to cancel a 1995 agreement with Australia on
security cooperation.
The decision to revoke the agreement last year came after
Australia one-sidedly froze technical military cooperation with
Indonesia.(dja)