Kupa's posting 'not final'

JAKARTA (JP): Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer yesterday said that Canberra and Jakarta have not agreed on the appointment of a new Australian ambassador for Indonesia.

In a radio interview, Downer dismissed as mere speculation Australian press reports suggesting that the two governments have agreed on the appointment of career diplomat Miles Kupa.

Australian newspapers yesterday said that Kupa, as deputy ambassador to Indonesia in 1988, wrote an internal report critical of President Soeharto. Kupa, a former advisor to the previous foreign minister Gareth Evans, was in Canberra for briefings on his appointment to replace ambassador Allan Taylor, Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday.

"I've seen a lot of names in the context of who might be our next ambassador to Indonesia. And speculation is exactly that -- it's speculation," Downer said, according to a transcript of his interview with the ABC.

"We haven't finished discussions with the Indonesians about this matter. And we just want to make sure that our relationship with Indonesia keeps advancing in the successful way it has been," he said.

"Due process is an important part of a good foreign policy," Downer said when asked to confirm the Herald's report that both Jakarta and Canberra have agreed on Kupa.

Indonesia was forced to withdraw the appointment of Lt. Gen. H.B.L. Mantiri as its new ambassador in Canberra in 1995 because of controversy generated by the Australian media. Mantiri's place was later filled by senior diplomat Wirjono Sastroandojo. (emb)