Hanson's views a threat to Aussie-RI ties

JAKARTA (JP): Visiting Australian trade minister Mark Vaile on Thursday maintained that Canberra does not endorse the statements of Australian far-right politician Pauline Hanson, warning that her remarks could damage bilateral relations.

"We (the Australian government) will continue to oppose those policies as we have done in the past," Vaile told journalists after meeting with President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.

Vaile said Hanson's calls for a halt of Australian aid to Jakarta could have "a detrimental effect" on economic and trade relationships between Indonesia and Australia "if they turn into policies."

Hanson, leader of the One Nation party, which advocates the cessation of Asian migration to Australia, is trying to make a political comeback in Australia.

"I think we've made it very clear that the views held by some in Australia are not the views of the majority," Vaile said.

Vaile also said that the President, "has reaffirmed that he will be visiting Australia in April."

"President Wahid indicated to us he saw it very clearly that after something like 13 prime ministerial visits from Australia to Indonesia since the last (Indonesian) presidential visit to Australia ... it was time that Indonesia reciprocated," he said.

Hanson said in Sydney on Thursday that Australia should halt all assistance to Indonesia "because they've openly burnt the Australian flag".

She was referring to protests outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta in 1999 in the wake of the deployment of Australian peacekeeping troops in East Timor.

Indonesian Trade and Industry Minister Luhut Panjaitan, who was also present on Thursday, played down Hanson's comments saying that Jakarta "is only listening to official statements from the Australian government".

"I don't see them (Hanson's views) as a problem. Trading is trading and so far President Gus Dur and Prime Minister (John Howard) have good contact, so I think that is the bottom line," Luhut said.

Vaile is in Indonesia leading a delegation of representatives from 16 Australian companies, who have total investments worth six billion Australian dollars in Indonesia.

"We're looking at a further 1.3 billion dollars worth of investment in Indonesia," he claimed.

Later in the day, Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab said five of Abdurrahman's foreign economic advisors were expected to meet with the President on Saturday.

They include Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, former Japanese ambassador to the United States Nobuo Matsunaga and French banker Marc Vienot.

Two other advisors, Saudi Arabia's Saleh Kamil and former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger, will not attend the meeting, Alwi said. (byg)