Yusril left stranded in Canberra

Yusril left stranded in Canberra

Agence France-Presse, Canberra

A senior Indonesian minister was less than impressed with Australian hospitality on Monday when security guards outside parliament prevented him from reaching a scheduled meeting with his Australian counterpart.

Justice Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra was due to lunch in parliament house with Attorney-General Daryl Williams for talks on setting up a joint taskforce to battle transnational crime.

But guards at the ministerial entrance to parliament had apparently not been informed of the visit and kept the minister waiting for half an hour.

They then insisted the visiting delegation undergo a rigorous security check, a delay which meant the luncheon meeting had to be called off.

"I come to Canberra on a formal visit," Yusril told the Australian Associated Press.

"But when I come here, there's no protocols and we are just standing there about 30 minutes.

"They had a long time to arrange a visitor pass," he complained.

A spokeswoman for Williams said the Indonesians had been given an official apology for the incident and the meeting with Yusril was rescheduled for later in the day.

Yusril was in Australia to urge the government to investigate and return state funds allegedly transferred illegally to Australia by a fugitive Indonesian banker, Hendra Rahardja, who recently died in Melbourne.