On September 26, 2002, the
Indonesian Embassy in Canberra organized a meeting with the
Senate Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Committee of the
Australian Parliament in an attempt to improve mutual understandings
between the two parties. The meeting took place at the Parliament
House and directly presided over by the Chairman of the Joint
Standing Committee, Senator The Hon. Peter Francis Salmon Cook,
flanked by Senator Gavin Marshall, Senator John Hogg, Senator
John Alexander Lindsay (Sandy) McDonald and Senator David Albert
Lloyd Johnston. Charge d'Affaires a.i. Imron Cotan led the Embassy's
delegation, consisting of all Indonesian senior diplomats posted
in Canberra.
The Senators
welcomed the Embassy's initiative to organize the meeting, during
which they raised many pertinent questions. These include, inter
alia: the latest political developments in Indonesia, especially
the shooting incident in Timika (Papua); the stance of the Indonesian
government on the Iraqi crisis and its predicted impact on Indonesia
as a predominantly Muslim country; the bilateral trade between
the two neighboring countries, especially on the need to improve
investment; and, the need to encourage students' exchange programs.
The meeting
- the first of its kind - was held in a frank, warm, and friendly
environment. And, the two sides have agreed to organize such
a meeting on a continuous basis in the future not only in order
to avoid misunderstandings, but also to further excel the bilateral
relations between Indonesia and Australia, especially between
the Embassy and the Senate.
