Gus Dur cancels Australian trip

Gus Dur cancels Australian trip

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid, who is fighting for
his political survival, canceled on Saturday his visit to
Australia and New Zealand, planned in early April saying that he
needed "to focus more attention on domestic affairs".

"The President has decided that he will postpone his visit to
Australia until a further timetable is mutually agreed on between
Australia and Indonesia," foreign minister Alwi Shihab said.

Alwi was speaking after a limited cabinet meeting which was
attended by, among others, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Coordinating Minister for the Economy
Rizal Ramli and Cabinet Secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak.

"The President sees that he needs to focus on the many
internal problems this country is facing," Alwi added.

Abdurrahman was originally scheduled to leave for Australia on
April 3 for a five-day visit.

Palace sources told The Jakarta Post on Friday that during
Abdurrahman's stay in Australia, a one-day visit to Wellington,
scheduled for April 5, was to have been squeezed into the
President's schedule.

This is the first time that Abdurrahman, who has been under
fire for making too many overseas trips at times of domestic
crisis, has canceled a trip abroad.

Last month, the President was sharply criticized when he
refused to cut short his trip to the Middle East and North
African countries despite bloody communal clashes between
indigenous Dayaks and Madurese settlers in Central Kalimantan.

Alwi said he had already conveyed the news of the cancellation
to Australia's ambassador, Richard Smith, adding he would be
talking to foreign minister Alexander Downer later in the day.

"We are asking for the Australian government to understand
that this postponement has absolutely nothing to do with the
bilateral relationship between the two countries," Alwi said.

Later in the day, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said
that Abdurrahman had officially canceled his Australian visit
during a personal phone call.

The prime minister, keen to mend relations which soured over
Australia's 1999 leadership of a multinational force in East
Timor, also stressed that the invitation to Abdurrahman still
stood.

"The President of Indonesia Abdurrahman Wahid telephoned me
late this afternoon to inform that for domestic political reasons
a postponement of his projected visit to Australia would be
necessary," Howard was quoted as saying by Agence France Presse.

"He told me that he still wished to visit Australia and that
he hoped that the visit could take place soon. I fully understand
the President's position. I told him that.

"The President of Indonesia will always be welcome to visit
Australia."

Meanwhile Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile on Sunday
expressed his belief that the postponement of the visit would not
effect the improving ties between the two countries.

In an interview with Channel Ten on Sunday, Vaile, who in
February led a trade delegation to Indonesia, said Australia
should try to understand the difficulties being faced which
forced the visit to be canceled.

Australia's invitation to Abdurrahman was first held out by
foreign minister Downer in March last year.

There were fears, however, that the Indonesian president could
be embarrassed by possible demonstrations by groups demanding an
independence referendum for Indonesia's easternmost province of
Irian Jaya.

The rebel movement in the province enjoys wide support from
Australian human rights groups. (byg)