New era with Indonesia won't be all joy: Howard

New era with Indonesia won't be all joy: Howard

Neil Sands, Agence France-Presse/Sydney

Australian Prime Minister John Howard sounded a note of caution as he and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono were praised for ushering in a new era of Jakarta-Canberra relations on Tuesday, warning ongoing tensions were inevitable.

Both leaders talked up renewing ties that were soured by Australia's involvement in East Timorese independence from Indonesia in 1999, but Howard also said the nations "won't always agree".

"We are nations that have very different histories, very different cultures, we are different societies and we shouldn't pretend that those differences don't exist," Howard told commercial radio.

"But it's always better to try and find the points of agreement," he added, expressing his belief they could maintain a close relationship despite the differences.

Experts said Susilo's trip had cemented ties that were already improving after Canberra's generous response to the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster and the more recent earthquake on the Indonesian island of Nias.

But they said ordinary Indonesians' views of Australia were still dominated by the row over East Timorese independence, a topic avoided by Susilo and Howard during the trip.

"The relationship has definitely warmed but I don't know if its fundamentals have changed," Adelaide University senior lecturer in international politics Felix Patrikeeff told AFP.

"The respective world-views are so different that there will always be gaps in understanding, meaning the relationship can change very quickly."

But Patrikeeff said Howard's pledge of A$1 billion (US$765 million) in tsunami aid and low-interest loans had altered relations enough to allow Susilo's visit, which he said would have been impossible a few years ago.

The change was symbolized when a somber Susilo laid bronze medals of velour on the caskets of nine Australian military personnel killed in a helicopter crash while performing aid work in Nias -- an Indonesian leader honoring members of the military that helped end Jakarta's rule in East Timor.

Earlier, Susilo pledged a war on corruption as he sought to persuade Australian business leaders to lift investment in his disaster-hit country.

The president said his government was determined to end the graft, bureaucratic bottlenecks and red tape that were hampering foreign investment in his homeland.

He said he viewed the anti-corruption drive as a personal responsibility and ranked the issue alongside the fight against terrorism, in his speech to a business function in Sydney.

"I declare war against corruption (and) against terrorism for the better of Indonesia," he told executives.

Howard also made the link with terrorism when addressing business leaders Monday, saying investment in Indonesia was an important way of defeating extremism.

"A successful, moderate, Islamic Indonesia led by a man of compassion and man of vision such as President Yudhoyono is about the most powerful weapon that we can have against zealotry and extremism in our part of the world," Howard said.

During his visit, Susilo agreed to press his fellow Southeast Asian leaders to accept Australia into Asian-bloc talks later this year.

Susilo and Howard also said their nations would negotiate a "comprehensive partnership" which includes a new security agreement and increased air and maritime cooperation.

He was due to leave for New Zealand on late Tuesday.