Senior Australian diplomat considered for Jakarta

Senior Australian diplomat considered for Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): The Australian government is preparing John
McCarthy, its ambassador to the United States, to serve as its
ambassador to Indonesia later this year, Antara reported.

The news agency quoted The Australian as saying that McCarthy,
a career diplomat, would soon be recalled to serve the Department
of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra until December, when the
position in Jakarta becomes vacant.

Indonesia objected to Australian Foreign Minister Alexander
Downer's first choice, senior diplomat Miles Kupa, because Kupa
wrote a report critical of President Soeharto in the late 1980s.
The confidential report, which was intended for then Australian
foreign minister Garreth Evans, was leaked to the Australian
press in 1992.

The withdrawal of Miles' nomination forced Canberra to extend
the service of its current ambassador to Indonesia, Allan Taylor,
until December. Taylor's term was scheduled to end in June.

The Australian said McCarthy's nomination was the first of a
series of changes of envoys to be made by Prime Minister John
Howard.

Andrew Peacock, former shadow foreign minister for the Liberal
Party, is being considered for the Washington post, while John
Spender, a former MP for the Liberal Party, will be given the
Paris post.

McCarthy, who had served as an advisor to Peacock when he was
shadow foreign minister, was so well-liked by the former Labor
government of Paul Keating that he was trusted to head the
Australian mission in Washington two years ago, Antara said.
(emb)