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Australia, Indonesia Propose West Pacific Forum
Australia and Indonesia proposed Friday, December 8, to set up a new regional forum in the west Pacific after a high-level meeting between ministers of the two countries.
The two-day meeting, which wound up Friday, was the highest-level talks held since bilateral relations foundered over East Timor in 1999.
The two sides also agreed on a raft of other issues at the meeting which Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer described as "really excellent."
In addition to the meeting itself, which is a significant diplomatic step in improving ties, the most significant issue to emerge was backing for Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid's idea of a new regional grouping.
"This is an idea in its very early stages and we think that during the first three months or so of next year it would be well worthwhile taking this proposal forward," Downer told a media conference.
"It is a constructive idea and we'd like to work with the Indonesian government over the development of the proposal," he said.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab, who led the five- minister Indonesian delegation, said the Australia Indonesia Forum marked an upturn in relations between the two nations.
"The prevailing atmosphere was extremely friendly, constructive and beyond description of the willingness of the two parties ... to get the bilateral relations back into normalcy and even to take this momentum to enhance and improve what could be improved in the future," Shihab said.
"We are committed to removing all obstacles in the way (of restoring ties)," Shihab said.
He also said that the west Pacific grouping could include Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and perhaps the Philippines.
Both ministers stressed the west Pacific forum idea is in its germinal stages and it is not known whether all the target countries would take part.
Shihab said that had the forum existed in 1999, it might have helped prevent the breakdown in relations between Australia and Indonesia which occurred over the collapse of law and order in East Timor.
"We would like to see the participating countries cement their cooperation and prevent what happened in the past, let's say between Indonesia and Australia," he said.
"Had this forum been in place, we could very well avoid misunderstanding, because then we can use this as a good device for face-saving instrument to convene to discuss matters within our region," he added.
The 16-minister Australia Indonesia Forum also held a 45-minute meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Friday, December 8.
Meet to Repair Ties
A long-awaited meeting between Australian and Indonesian ministers began Thursday in Canberra with the aim of getting the bilateral relationship back on track after it soured during the East Timor crisis last year.
The two-day forum bringing together nine Australian and five Indonesian ministers is the most wide-ranging high-level bilateral meeting to be held since Australia led international troops into the former Indonesian territory last year during its struggle for independence.
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