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.