Jakarta asks Australia for eased travel warning

AAP has reported that Indonesia has asked Australia to lift its travel warning against the nation as the two countries forge closer ties.

Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said she hoped Australia would lift the warning as it gained more confidence in Indonesian counter-terror efforts, through closer cooperation.

The comments came at a historic Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cebu, Philippines, where leaders pledged tighter cooperation on fighting terrorism, signing their first convention on counter terrorism.

They also agreed to create ASEAN’s first ever charter, and set a goal of 2015 to create a massive free-trade zone.

“We feel that travel warnings are the right of every country to impose, obviously,” Minister Pangestu told a local television station, “But we would hope that with the cooperation that is being undertaken right now … hopefully that will lead them to lift the ban.”

Australian Prime Minister John Howard heads to the tightly-guarded island city tomorrow, for the East Asia Summit (EAS) on Monday which will bring together the 10 ASEAN countries plus Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Korea and India.

Ms Pangestu said ASEAN had formed a taskforce to work on an ASEAN charter over the next year.  “I think this is our homework for this year. The target is to come up with the ASEAN charter by the next summit, which is going to be in November of this year,” she said.  “Hopefully very important issues, such as how to combat and counter and prevent terrorism, become one of the more positive or concrete outcomes that we can have … from having the charter.”

Australia and Indonesia have been rebuilding their relationship and late last year signed a security agreement, after a public fallout last year over the arrival of Papuan asylum seekers in Australia.

However, Australia recently renewed its travel warning, urging Australians to reconsider travel to Indonesia, including Bali, because of “the very high threat of terrorist attack”.

Authorities are also on high alert in Cebu for the ASEAN and EAS summits, after three bombings killed eight people and wounded scores more on Wednesday in Mindanao, hundreds of kilometres to the south of the island.

Mr Howard said regional challenges, such as bird flu, energy security and disaster management will be on the agenda at the EAS on Monday, adding “During the summit I will discuss with regional partners emerging challenges including energy security, regional financial cooperation and integration, education, avian influenza and natural disaster management.”  “During my time in Cebu I will also have bilateral discussions with regional leaders.”

EAS leaders are expected to sign a declaration on energy security, which reportedly aims to reduce reliance on conventional fuels and minimise greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Howard’s visit comes despite a travel warning from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, and separate warnings issued by Britain and Canada, warning people travelling to Cebu should exercise extreme caution “because of the high threat of terrorist attack”.

The ASEAN and EAS summits were originally due to take place last month, but were postponed at the last minute reportedly over concerns about possible terrorist attacks, and an approaching typhoon.

Report by The Mole