Australian Prime Minister John Howard's visit to Indonesia, aimed at improving relations, has gotten off to a rocky start, with key political leaders pulling out of planned meetings with him.

The speaker of Indonesia's top legislative body, Amien Rais and other top officials have said they will not meet with Mr. Howard, protesting Australia's stance on asylum seekers and its alleged support of separatist movements in Irian Jaya province.

Mr. Howard issued a statement in response, saying Australia unequivocally supports the territorial integrity of Indonesia. He also acknowledged that bilateral ties have been strained in the past, but said the two sides need to move on. He meets later Wednesday with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Ties between the two nations reached a low point in 1999, when Australia led the international peacekeeping force in East Timor after a vote for the territory's independence from Jakarta turned violent. 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 and Reuters.

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