Howard arrives on working visit

JAKARTA (JP): Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who arrived here yesterday for a two-day working visit, will hold a discussion with President Soeharto at Merdeka Palace this morning.

During the meeting, the two leaders will likely focus their attention on economic and political issues, especially the ongoing Southeast Asian currency crisis, palace officials said yesterday.

However, Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said on Monday that the Australian government was not likely to offer special assistance for Indonesia during the meeting.

"So far, there is no indication of that," Moerdiono said.

This will be the second visit for Howard after his state visit here in September last year just a few months after he replaced Paul Keating as prime minister.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Indonesian exports to Australia were worth US$1.2 billion in 1996, mostly in furniture, footwear, textile, petroleum and paper products.

Indonesian imports from Australia during the same period totaled $2.53 billion, mostly raw cotton, cattle, crude oil, aluminum, copper and zinc.

"Indonesia is Australia's eighth largest export market, its 10th largest trading partner... and its 12th largest source of imports," the Australian embassy said in a statement yesterday.

To strengthen their bilateral relationship, the two countries signed an Agreement on Maintaining Security on Dec. 18, 1995.

The agreement was regarded as an umbrella for other efforts to forge closer bilateral ties.

Meanwhile, Indonesian officials said Howard may also raise the question of Indonesia's human rights record and issues relating to East Timor during his meeting with Soeharto.

After meeting with Soeharto, Howard is due to meet Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and other senior officials. He and his entourage will leave for Australia this evening. (prb)