Indonesian trip worthwhile: Howard
AAP
08feb02
PRIME Minister John Howard has declared his three-day visit to Indonesia "worthwhile" and dismissed the political controversy over his arrival as "static".
Mr Howard visited the ancient Buddhist monument of Borobudur in the Javanese countryside outside the island cultural centre of Yogyakarta.
Mr Howard told reporters it was important as a courtesy to recognise a country's cultural centres.
Asked how he viewed his trip:
"I thought it was worthwhile, I don't think it was any more controversial than visits normally are."
Mr Howard repeated his view the two countries should move on from their falling out over East Timor, which has been an issue raised by Indonesian parliamentarians who boycotted his visit.
"I agreed yesterday with Ali Alatas who was foreign minister at the time that whatever may have been the differences, that's a past chapter and we should move on," he said.
"But we should move on in realism."
Mr Howard said that while the relationship with Indonesia was a particularly important one in Australia's region, "it's not the overwhelming single relationship that Australia has around the world".
"I think we have made very solid progress. The static about the chairman of the MPR, that's just domestic politics, I'm quite untroubled by that," he said referring to national assembly speaker Amien Rais.
Dr Rais refused to receive Mr Howard at the parliament but then welcomed him to Indonesia at a state banquet earlier this week.
Mr Howard was given the opportunity to make a wish when he climbed Borobudur early this morning and touched the feet of the statue of the buddha.
Asked what he wished for he said: "Two more terms".
Later asked whether he believed his wish would be fulfilled, he said: "Well, I always have the long term help of the party I lead uppermost in my mind because it, being in office, is good for the nation."