Evans and Alatas agree to let envoy row cool off

Evans and Alatas agree to let envoy row cool off

By Oei Eng Goan

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (JP): The foreign ministers of Indonesia
and Australia yesterday agreed to let tensions ease between the
two countries before a new candidate is chosen to head the
Indonesian embassy in Canberra.

Ali Alatas of Indonesia and his Australian counterpart Gareth
Evans discussed prospects for the nomination of a new Indonesian
ambassador to Australia at a private breakfast meeting before the
ASEAN Regional Forum.

"We touched on the issue, but that does not mean both sides
want the ambassadorial position filled immediately," Alatas told
Indonesian journalists after the meeting, held at the Assara
state guest house where most ministers are staying.

Indonesia withdrew in June the nomination of Lt. Gen. (ret.)
H.B.L. Mantiri as the new ambassador to Australia because his
appointment, although officially accepted by Canberra, created a
public controversy in Australia.

Former Ambassador Sabam Siagian left Canberra last month at
the end of a four-year tour which was widely considered a success
in bridging a greater understanding between the two neighboring
countries.

"I think both sides have come to an understanding that the
post will remain vacant for the time being," Alatas said of the
meeting yesterday.

While Evans was not available to comment on the meeting,
Alatas remarked that both ministers had agreed to maintain the
present status quo and that Jakarta would not rush to nominate a
new candidate to fill the post in Canberra.

He admitted that the protests in Australian over Mantiri's
appointment had strained relations between the two countries.
Nevertheless, he noted that the incident had not fatally wounded
bilateral ties, "thanks to the cooperation forged by Indonesia
and Australia thus far."

"Cooperation on a wide variety of issues such as APEC,
economic links, science and technology, and military have
strengthened bilateral relations over the last few years," Alatas
said.

If not for strong cooperation between the two countries, the
Mantiri incident might have severely affected relations between
Jakarta and Canberra, he added.

As Mantiri prepared to take up his post in Canberra, some
Australian politicians joined forces with the powerful Australian
media to protest Mantiri's appointment; in particular, they asked
Mantiri to apologize for remarks he made in 1992 condoning the
previous year's military action in Dili, the capital of East
Timor, in which more than 50 East Timorese were killed.

Alatas said it is better not to have an ambassador in Canberra
than to have one being humiliated by the Australian public.

"It's not improbable that some Australians might try to
assault our envoy," he said. "This could prompt Indonesians in
Jakarta to retaliate."

"If that happened, Indonesia-Australia relations would
deteriorate even further," he added.

Alatas said that he had expressed to Evans Indonesia's
feelings towards Canberra's recent decision to grant visas to 18
East Timorese who left Indonesia and are now seeking asylum from
the Australian government.

"I told him that if the Australian government does not handle
this matter wisely, it could harm not only bilateral relations
between the two countries but the Australian government as well."

Canberra's leniency with asylum seekers might encourage people
from other countries to enter Australia and demand asylum from
Canberra, he explained.

The meeting with Evans is one of several Alatas has held on
the sidelines of the on-going ASEAN meetings.

Today, Alatas is scheduled to meet with the U.S. Secretary of
State Warren Christopher for lunch.

On Monday, the Indonesian ministers met with his counterparts
from China, Japan and New Zealand.