President delays Australian visit

President delays Australian visit

NEW YORK (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid has again decided
to delay his plan to visit Australia following mounting domestic
opposition.

The President was quoted as saying by foreign minister Alwi
Shihab on Tuesday that the Australian trip had been rescheduled
until after the general session of the People's Consultative
Assembly to be held from Aug. 5 through Aug. 12.

This is the second postponement of the President's visit to
Australia; the first was planned for May. Abdurrahman, better
known as Gus Dur, reiterated his desire to make a trip to
Australia during his meeting with Australian prime minister John
Howard in Tokyo last week.

Alwi said the delay was meant to respect aspirations from some
quarters, including House of Representatives' legislators, who
did not agree with the plan.

"Gus Dur needs to accommodate their aspirations," he said on
the sidelines of the President's meeting with UN Secretary-
General Kofi Annan in New York.

Abdurrahman had said he planned to hold a three-day meeting
between himself, Howard and East Timorese leader Xanana Gusmao in
July.

The President noted that the planned visit to Australia --
which would have been the first by an Indonesian president to
Canberra in 25 years -- had drawn much criticism and opposition
at home.

He said Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri had expressed
her disagreement over the planned visit during a Cabinet meeting.

House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung has also
called on the President to postpone the Australian trip.

Abdurrahman lashed out on Tuesday at the criticism, saying it
was based on "narrow nationalism". He added, however, that in an
effort to minimize the domestic problems related to the visit, he
had decided to postpone it.

Indonesia's relations with Australia became strained following
resentment over Australia's prominent role in the breakaway of
East Timor from Indonesia last year. (byg/jun)