Fed: Repair Indon relationship: Beazley

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2006
Fed: Repair Indon relationship: Beazley

MELBOURNE, April 4 AAP - The federal government should do more to repair Australia's
damaged relationship with Indonesia in the wake of the decision to grant visas to 42 Papuan
asylum seekers, Labor says.

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley today said his party had supported the government's "arms-length
process" to determine the Papuan's refugee status, but the government had to acknowledge
the serious problems it had created.

"(Foreign Minister) Alexander Downer is out there saying that we can all sit back and
relax on this one, it doesn't matter all that much," Mr Beazley told reporters in Melbourne.

"Well, it matters a lot.

"Border security is not something that you take lightly.

"(Prime Minister John) Howard and Downer have got to start to earn their money and
get their relationship back on an even keel."

Tensions with Indonesia over the Papua visa row escalated yesterday when its president
cast doubt over whether it will continue to help Australia stop illegal migration and
people trafficking.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said relations with Australia had entered a "difficult
phase" and he would review cooperation aimed at curbing people smugglers who use Indonesia
as a stop off point to Australia's north.

The announcement followed days of rising anger over Canberra's decision last month
to grant 42 Papuans protection visas after they sailed by boat to Cape York and sought
asylum.

Indonesia has repeatedly asked Australia to send the group back and has vehemently
denied allegations that they would be targeted by Indonesia's military.

It has already recalled its ambassador from Canberra in protest and won't say when
he might return.

Today, Mr Beazley said the problem was that Indonesia had believed the Howard government's
largely political claims in recent years that they controlled Australia's borders.

"The Indonesians believed they had absolute control over it or wanted absolute control
over it," he said.

"So now they are hoist with their own petard, quite frankly, but we are all hoist along
with them.

"So they are going to have to redouble their effort to explain, in very great detail,
the fact they didn't quite mean what they said during that election campaign."

AAP jb/dg/mh/tnf/nf

KEYWORD: PAPUA BEAZLEY

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