Foreign minister's Australian visit seeks to promote mutual

Foreign minister's Australian visit seeks to promote mutual
interests

The recently completed visit to Australia and New Zealand from
Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirajuda
was aimed at boosting relationships and cooperation in the West
Pacific region.

As the first official of Indonesia's new government to visit
Australia, it was hoped that Wirajuda could improve the recently
deteriorating bilateral relations, which had appeared to improve
with Gus Dur's visit to Australia in the final days of his
presidency.

Last August, relations between the two countries became tense
when Canberra denied entry to Middle Eastern asylum seekers, many
of whom departed from Indonesia.

Australia's Prime Minister John Howard insisted Indonesia, not
Australia, be responsible for the asylum seekers, who had been
rescued by a Norwegian vessel in August from an Indonesian ferry.

Diplomatic relations stagnated and President Megawati even
refused a phone call from Howard.

In September, Australia's foreign minister Alexander Downer
and two colleagues visited Jakarta to urge Indonesia to deal with
the problem of human smuggling.

This has worsened bilateral relations, which collapsed
following the 1999 appointment of Australia to lead the United
Nations peace-keeping troops in East Timor, a former Indonesian
province.

So, Wirajuda's Australian visit may ease bilateral tension. An
international conference on migration will be jointly held by
both countries in February 2002. Clearly, direct contact is much
better than "megaphone diplomacy", a term Wirajuda is fond of
using.

The two countries must realize that the global economic
slowdown and uncertainty following the Sept. 11 tragedy in the US
will intensify the flow of illegal migrants from Central Asia and
the Middle East.

Naturally, prosperous Australia is their destination. As
Indonesia remains chaotic, illegal immigrants will, naturally,
seize the loopholes to go to Australia through Indonesia.

The two foreign ministers have agreed that both countries will
take part in a campaign to prevent Indonesians from being
involved in human smuggling and have reminded fishermen and crews
of ships of the criminal consequences if they are discovered to
have helped illegal migrants enter Australia.

This ministerial discussion must be fruitful and may pave the
way for a summit meeting between the two countries early next
year, perhaps in Jakarta.

A good neighborly relationship is not always free of problems.
However, if it is based on good understanding and trust, problems
can always be solved. Then, no more statements to worsen the
situation need to be made every time the relationship goes sour.

-- Kompas, Jakarta