East Timor avoided in Australia-Indonesia talks

East Timor avoided in Australia-Indonesia talks

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Agencies): President Abdurrahman Wahid and Australian Prime Minister John Howard (photo above) chat before the start of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum here.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab told the Associated Press after Wednesday's meeting that East Timor was kept off the meeting's agenda to prevent setting back halting attempts to rebuild the Indonesian-Australian relationship.

"We didn't even discuss it," Alwi said. "That would create misunderstanding."

Instead, Alwi said, they discussed the deteriorating economic situation in Indonesia, which has been in a state of chronic turmoil for more than three years.

"Investment is lagging behind because of so many internal difficulties, one of which is the instability in the political situation, but it will be rectified in the very near future," Alwi said.

The meeting occurred on the sidelines of the APEC summit, a loose trade grouping of 21 economies on both sides of the Pacific.

Relations between Jakarta and Canberra nose-dived in September 1999 when Howard sent troops to lead a multilateral force into East Timor.

The territory is now under UN administration pending full independence.

Howard and Abdurrahman have met three times. A meeting between ministers from both countries is scheduled for December.

Howard has been criticized by the parliamentary opposition in Australia for the deterioration in relations with Indonesia, which is Australia's nearest neighbor.

Abdurrahman on the other hand is also facing strong opposition from legislators over his plans to visit Australia in the near future.