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.