AUSTRALIA/INDONESIA: The Australian Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, arrived in Jakarta yesterday for a visit aimed at improving relations with Indonesia, after curtly dismissing a snub from a top legislator who refuses to meet him.
Mr Howard, paying his second visit in six months, arrived on a Qantas flight at a government air base to a red-carpet welcome and headed straight for a meeting with President Megawati Sukarnoputri at the palace.
Mr Amien Rais, speaker of the main legislative body, is boycotting a meeting with Mr Howard because of Australia's stance on asylum-seekers and its supposed backing for independence supporters in West Papua province.
Mr Akbar Tanjung, the speaker of the lower house and the current target of a corruption probe, is also refusing to meet the prime minister. He said the lower house would question Ms Megawati at a future session on why she let the visit go ahead.
Mr Tanjung's deputy, Mr Sutarjo Suryoguritno, says parliament had received reports that Australia was providing financial support for non-governmental organisations in Papua, Aceh and East Timor.
Mr Rais did not soften his stance yesterday despite a blunt rebuke from Mr Howard.
"What is important is that Australia can draw a lesson [from this boycott\]," said the presidential aspirant.
"Hopefully, on his return from this visit, Mr Howard will be able to reflect on the policies of his government on how it should act with Indonesia."
Mr Howard in a statement on Tuesday described the claims made by Mr Rais as "totally untrue". He said the Australian government had never accused the Jakarta government of responsibility for people-smuggling. It was also "categorically untrue" that Canberra supported Papua's independence.
Mr Howard noted that when the upper house speaker originally said he would be unable to meet, "he gave as his reason his preoccupation with the current flood situation."