John Howard

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has met in Jakarta with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri at the start of a visit aimed at improving bilateral ties.

Megawati Sukarnoputri

At a joint news conference, Mr. Howard expressed strong support for Indonesia's territorial integrity and acknowledged that two sides will face challenges as they seek to improve relations. Ms. Megawati described Wednesday's meeting as "warm" and said she was confident that future ties between Indonesia and Australia will be stronger and more stable.

Neither leader directly addressed the decision of some key political leaders to boycott planned meetings with Mr. Howard. The speaker of Indonesia's top legislative body, Amien Rais, and other officials said they were protesting Australia's stance on asylum seekers and its alleged support of separatist movements in Irian Jaya province. Mr. Howard said he was "disappointed" by the accusations.

Ties between the two nations reached a low point in 1999, when Australia led the international peacekeeping force in East Timor, where violence erupted after residents voted for independence from Jakarta.

More recently, the issue of asylum seekers has sparked tensions. Canberra is eager to curb people-smuggling gangs based in Indonesia. Thousands of asylum seekers mostly from the Middle East transit through the country each year on their journey to Australia.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and DPA.

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