Aussie PM to visit RI, Japan

Aussie PM to visit RI, Japan

CANBERRA (Reuter): Australian Prime Minister John Howard was expected to make his first overseas visit as prime minister to Indonesia in August, government sources told Reuters yesterday.

Howard was due to make the trip early in August, ahead of the budget planned for release on Aug. 20, the sources said, adding plans for the trip were not yet final.

Howard was due to travel to Tokyo from Indonesia.

In recent visits to Jakarta, Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer have indicated relations with Indonesia have high priority in the new conservative government's foreign policy.

The prime minister's office declined comment.

Howard's Liberal-National coalition was elected on March 2, replacing the former Labor administration which pegged its Asia- first foreign policy on closer relations with Jakarta.

Under former Labor prime minister Paul Keating's administration from late 1991, Australia set about strengthening its sometimes rocky relationship with Indonesia.