Labor needed for Asian ties: Keating

Labor needed for Asian ties: Keating

SYDNEY (AFP): Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating said
yesterday Asian leaders such as Indonesian President Suharto
would not take seriously a government led by his election rival,
John Howard.

Southeast Asian nations did not believe Howard's conservative
coalition was serious about forging close regional ties, he said.
This was because the opposition still looked to the United States
and Britain as Australia's main allies.

"President Soeharto will very properly meet the prime minister
of Australia but he will not seriously negotiate with Mr Howard,"
Keating told reporters.

Jakarta would not have agreed to the bilateral security treaty
signed in December if it had been proposed by a coalition
government, he said.

Keating's Labor government is approaching a March 2 election
lagging Howard's coalition of the Liberal and National parties in
opinion polls.

The opposition leader reacted yesterday by questioning
Keating's grip on reality.

"Is he going to say that (U.S. President) Bill Clinton will
put a black ban on me, or will I not be allowed into certain
Asian countries? Is he really saying that? Dear dear me, what
next?" Howard told reporters.

"Perhaps I'm going to be declared a prohibited visitor to
certain countries. The man is losing his grip," Howard said.

Engagement with Asia has been a prime foreign affairs focus
for the Keating government, which believes closer regional ties
promote Australia's trade as well as defense interests.

As well as the ground-breaking security agreement with
Indonesia, the Labor government has promoted the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) initiative which groups some of the
world's fastest-growing economies.

Keating has also forged close personal relationships with
regional leaders such as Soeharto and Singapore's Prime Minister
Goh Chok Tong.

Australian business said yesterday that these ties would not
be endangered by a Howard government.

"Asians are very, very pragmatic people," said Paul Gallagher,
the executive director of the South-East Asian Business Council,
which is a branch of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry.

"I'm sure John Howard is as capable as anybody of establishing
personal relationships with the leaders of these countries."

Goh said last month he would be sorry if Keating lost the
prime ministership.

"We have got the same vision for the region," he said then.
"In a personal sense I would be sorry to see anybody go, and I
know Paul Keating very well."