Howard to make third visit to Jakarta

Howard to make third visit to Jakarta

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Australian Prime Minister John Howard is scheduled to arrive in
Jakarta on Valentine's Day for talks with President Megawati
Soekarnoputri, marking a new turn in the love-hate relationship
between the two countries.

The Indonesian visit was abruptly added to Howard's overseas
itinerary, which was initially only for the United States and
England.

Responding to The Jakarta Post, foreign ministry spokesman
Marty Natalegawa said on Tuesday said that Iraq would be one of
the topics discussed by Megawati and Howard.

"There are several bilateral problems, and of course issues of
common interest will be discussed," Marty said.

He said the Jakarta visit on Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 was at
Canberra's request. It will be Howard's third visit to
Indonesia.

"We have responded to the request positively and are preparing
for the visit," Marty said.

During his two-day visit, Howard is also scheduled to meet
with top state officials. It is not known at this stage whether
the prime minister will meet with Indonesian House of
Representatives legislators, who refused to receive him during
his last official visit here in February last year.

Marty said Howard would also follow up on Canberra's pledge to
assist Indonesia, especially Bali, in the wake of the Oct. 12
blasts that killed over 190 people, many of whom were Australian.

Howard's visit to the U.S. and England was announced a few
weeks back, but his plan to visit Jakarta was only revealed on
Monday.

The change of plan comes against a backdrop of criticism from
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, who criticized
Canberra's support for U.S. plans to attack Iraq.

In an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corp. recently,
Hassan said that Australia's policy on Iraq was not along the
same lines as Southeast Asia's.

"The Australian government's move to immediately support the
U.S. in its grievances against Iraq would be viewed by our public
as a bit too enthusiastic," Hassan said.

"In the region of Southeast Asia or East Asia we support a
peaceful resolution to this crisis. We do not support war as a
means to settle the problem."

Relations between Indonesia and Australia have been strained
in past years after the separation of East Timor from Indonesia
in 1999, which was supported by Australia.

Since then there have been efforts to mend ties between the
two countries. However, tension remains as Jakarta has continued
to question the goodwill of Howard in maintaining relations
between the two countries.

The last hiccup occurred when Australian authorities raided
the homes of several Indonesian citizens in a crackdown on the
Jamaah Islamiyah terrorist network late last year.

Although police of the two countries teamed up well in
investigating the Bali bombing, anti-Australian sentiment
apparently remains prevalent among Indonesian politicians.