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)