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.