RI, Australian ministers to have high-level talks

JAKARTA (JP): Ministers from Indonesia and Australia are to meet at the end of the week in a high-level discussion in an effort to further jump start ties which have been on a downward slope since the East Timor issue last year.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Rizal Ramli, Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab, Minister of Industry and Trade Lt. Gen. (ret.) Luhut Panjaitan, Minister of National Education Yahya Muhaimin and Minister of Maritime and Fisheries Sarwono Kusumaatmaja are slated to attend the meeting, which is expected to take place in Canberra on Thursday and Friday.

The Australian delegation is due to be led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer, Minister of Trade Mark Vaile, Minister of Industry Nick Minchin and Attorney General Daryl Williams.

Alwi confirmed that the meeting would go ahead after a discussion with President Abdurrahman Wahid at Merdeka Palace on Monday.

The meeting is actually part of the Indonesia-Australia Ministerial Forum, which regularly takes place and usually focuses on enhancing economic ties.

However, the planned meeting is seen as a strategic starting point to help boost ties which have gone through an extremely rocky period since Australia led a multinational force in East Timor last year.

Some also see the visit as a precursor of a possible visit to Australia by President Abdurrahman Wahid, which has been postponed several times due to strong opposition from legislators.

The Ministerial Forum meeting was originally scheduled for November, but was canceled after Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri insisted that all Indonesian Cabinet ministers stay in the country during the fasting month to focus on solving domestic issues.

Both Alwi and Rizal said Megawati supported the visit as she stressed great importance on bilateral ties with Australia.

Antara quoted Indonesia's Ambassador to Australia Arizal Effendi as saying in Canberra that this would be an important meeting as the two governments would exchange ideas on how to realize bilateral ties in the economic, political, social and cultural sectors.

The meeting, he said, would also show that despite strains in their diplomatic relations, Indonesia and Australia were ready to hold talks.

Arizal said the Australian delegation had reportedly expressed hope that the meeting would discuss the situation in the restive province of Irian Jaya and illegal migrants to Australia who have used Indonesia as an entry point.

Commenting on the sudden decision to reconvene the meeting, Arizal said: "Maybe the (Indonesian) ministers are sure that there is no more work to do in December, so that they rescheduled their meeting with their Australian counterparts".

Meanwhile AP quoted Downer as saying that "should it go ahead, I think we can have a very constructive and useful meeting".

Asked about the continued bloodshed occurring in Irian Jaya, Downer reiterated Australia's support for Indonesia's sovereignty over the province.

"Obviously, we are concerned about the reports of fatalities in Irian Jaya. And we have said all along that we would like to see an exercise of restraint by all parties," Downer said.

"But we have also made it clear all along that we support Indonesian sovereignty in Irian Jaya," he said in Canberra.