Australian press loses interest in E. Timor

JAKARTA (JP): The Australian media now understands Indonesia better as its senior editors have become more aware about the complexity of problems facing the nation, and no longer only focus their attention on East Timor, an Indonesian editor said.

Parni Hadi was quoted by Antara as saying during the third Australian-Indonesian senior editors meeting in Sydney yesterday, that the neighboring country's media is focusing more on other issues in Indonesia, including its environment and economy.

The East Timor issue was one of the topics discussed at the meeting. The senior editors agreed that news reports filed by the Australian press on East Timor had so far posed an obstacle for ties between the two countries.

The meeting emphasized the need for an exchange of information and greater efforts to build a better understanding between the two countries' senior editors, Parni said.

Parni Hadi, Jakob Oetama of the daily Kompas, Fikri Jufri of the monthly magazine Matra, and Sabam Siagian of The Jakarta Post, initiated the dialog four years ago.

The gathering is coordinated by the Australian-Indonesian Institute chaired by Richard Woolcott, former Australian ambassador to Indonesia in the 1970s.

The Australian Foreign Ministry's Director for Indonesian Section, Allaster Cox, who attended the meeting as an observer, said that Australian news reports on Indonesia are becoming more balanced and proportional.

The senior editors will meet with Australian Prime Minister John Howard in Canberra tomorrow.

The Australian editors include David Armstrong, Paul Kelly, Steve Harris, John Lyons, Ian McCausland, Gregory Hywood, Jack Waterford, Paul Murray, Michael Mann, Tom Krause and Sarah Benjamin. (swe)