[nasional_list] [ppiindia] Fence-menders have made a good job of it

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**http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20876,19630970-17301,00.html

Fence-menders have made a good job of it
John Howard and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono deserve credit for finding common 
ground, writes Dennis Shanahan 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 30, 2006

ON Tuesday morning, as a disconsolate John Howard prepared to leave the 
Indonesian island of Batam after watching Australia's dispiriting defeat in the 
FIFA World Cup, he received a message of commiseration from his host, President 
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. It was a personal message and the sort of deft touch 
and sympathy for Australia's feelings to be expected from the accomplished 
moderate leader of the world's largest Muslim country.
On Monday morning the two leaders had greeted each other warmly as they 
exercised in the already steamy heat of early morning on the resort island, 
where they were meeting. Yet only 48 hours earlier there had been suggestions 
the Indonesians would not agree to the trip and Howard would be publicly 
snubbed for his June 15 letter of complaint to SBY about the early release of 
Abu Bakar Bashir and for failing to pass new immigration rules on boatpeople. 

There was Indonesian resentment over Australia's decision to grant asylum to 42 
Papuans who fled Indonesian control in March. Both leaders were under pressure 
from their political opponents. There were divisions on both sides. And Bashir, 
more of a problem for Yudhoyono than Howard, was taunting and baiting the 
Australian public and the families of Bali bombing victims. 

In Australia, Howard was accused of handing over our sovereignty to Indonesia 
by changing the immigration laws; in Jakarta, he was accused of undermining 
Indonesia's sovereignty by not returning the Papuan asylum-seekers. In 
Australia, Yudhoyono was accused of being soft on terrorism; in Indonesia, he 
was accused of giving up sovereignty. 

In Australia it was reported SBY was considering scuttling the talks and the 
defence treaty with Indonesia was in doubt. What the speculation hadn't counted 
on was the political will of both leaders to wear some domestic criticism, to 
overrule some of the judgments within their respective governments and to 
exercise leadership diplomacy. 

It was a tricky situation, but both leaders came away with enough to put the 
vital relationship back on track, as some Indonesians and Asian newspapers saw 
it. 

"SBY, Howard set about patching up relations", said The Jakarta Post's headline 
after the meeting. Kompas bluntly said: "Papuan issue settled in Batam", and 
its editorial noted the spirit to restore ties was obvious. 

There were similar headlines in Hong Kong and Singapore; The Wall Street 
Journal Asia said: "Leaders break impasse". 

If the Asian media judgment is to be accepted - and it so often is when 
relations are bad between Australia and Indonesia - then the talks achieved a 
lot. Of course, expectations of what would or could be achieved had been set 
high in Australia and Indonesia, with Opposition foreign affairs spokesman 
Kevin Rudd setting out conditions for control of Bashir based on the UN 
convention Howard cited in his letter to SBY, while Indonesia wanted guarantees 
on Papua. 

The legal decision to grant asylum to the 42 Papuans plunged political 
relations between Australia and Indonesia to the lowest point since Canberra's 
support for East Timor's independence in 1999, when Jakarta withdrew its 
ambassador in protest. The early release from prison of Bashir, the radical 
cleric who taunts Australia and supports terrorist acts, caused equal 
resentment among the Australian public. Relations plunged to a seven-year 
nadir. 

However, SBY went out of his way to make it clear that he has strong personal 
links with and regard for Howard, and the Prime Minister reciprocated. In a 
meeting at risk of being scuttled, there was agreement to set an 
end-of-the-year deadline for a new defence and security pact and progress on 
prisoner exchange as well as aid and investment agreements. 

On the two most contentious issues, the two leaders, in their letters and at a 
joint press conference, tried to calm public feelings and restore diplomatic 
balance. 

Howard gave a strong guarantee on Papua, declaring that Canberra supported 
Indonesian sovereignty and would not allow Australia to be a staging post for 
separatism. While continuing to press for further action against Bashir - or 
"that man", as Howard calls him - the Prime Minister also tried to assuage 
domestic concerns and balance Bashir against the Australian decision to grant 
asylum. 

"Australia respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Indonesia, 
including sovereignty over Papua. Australia does not support separatism and 
secessionist movements in Indonesia. My Government does not wish to see 
Australia becoming a staging point for any such activities," Howard said in his 
second letter to SBY. 

This addressed the fear in Jakarta that the asylum for the 42 Papuans presaged 
moves by Australia to foster a new breakaway movement, as was the case in East 
Timor, that would lead to Indonesia losing the resource-rich province of Papua. 

There were barbs and concessions in both leaders' letters. SBY noted the 
guarantee on Papua, then defended Indonesia on the issue of Bashir's early 
release. He pointed out that many Indonesians had died in terrorist bombing 
attacks and that he could not have interfered with the court's decision to 
release Bashir, just as Howard could not interfere with court decisions in 
Australia. 

Given that Bashir is a bigger threat to SBY and moderate Islam in Indonesia 
than he is to Howard or Australia, the Indonesian President went as far as he 
could in trying to placate the Australian audience. 

Besides, his statement that he had to consider the rule of law, human rights 
and democratic rights in dealing with Bashir is a refreshing sign of the 
dramatic changes that have occurred in Indonesia. 

Labor's demands for 24-hour surveillance became a touchstone, yet neither 
Howard nor SBY could deliver. However, the latter emphasised that Bashir's 
release would not weaken Jakarta's anti-terror stand and gave a written 
guarantee Indonesia would take "pre-emptive and preventive" action against 
terrorists. Also, people suspected of being involved in terrorist activity - 
and let's not forget Bashir has convictions related to terrorism, although they 
specifically relate to immigration breaches - would be kept under close 
surveillance. 

In the context of the main bones of contention, the progress made wasn't enough 
for critics in Indonesia and Australia. However, given the state of relations 
between the countries before the meeting, what was achieved at Batam has to be 
seen as a huge advance for Yudhoyono and Howard.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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