Up to Aust to make Timor case: Indonesia

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Karlis Salna- AAP South-East Asia Correspondent - March 4,2011 - THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Indonesia says it will be up to Australia to make a case for a refugee processing centre to be built in East Timor when the region's foreign ministers meet in Bali at the end of this month.

East Timor's Foreign Minister Zacarias da Costa and his Indonesian counterpart, Marty Natalegawa, both refused to directly answer questions about support for the plan on Friday, instead saying it will be addressed at the Bali Process meeting.

The comments follow reports that Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's plan for a regional asylum seeker processing centre to be built in East Timor was destined to be rejected after a senior Timorese politician said it had "no momentum".

Ms Gillard is also facing renewed pressure on the asylum seeker issue at home following an announcement on Thursday of plans to build a new mainland detention centre near Darwin with the capacity for 1500 beds.

Mr da Costa, in Jakarta to formally present East Timor's application to join ASEAN, avoided a direct question on whether the proposal had "any support" in Dili, instead saying the Bali Process was the best mechanism by which to address the issue.

"Our position has been consistent. It's important a regional issue like this is addressed in a regional mechanism, a regional forum," he said.

Dr Natalegawa also refused to directly answer the question, saying instead that it would be up to Australia to make a case for the Timor solution at the regional meeting in Bali on March 29-30.

"That's when I guess Australia will have to, will make the case for this idea," he said, adding, however, that he agreed with Ms Gillard that a regional solution was required.

"But in so far as our two countries (Indonesia and Australia) have both said, we remain steadfast in our belief that the solution to issues of this type requires a comprehensive solution involving all the parties concerned," Dr Natalegawa said.

But the Indonesian foreign minister also pointed out that the country of destination for asylum seekers should be a major factor in any plan to address the problem.

"We have been common in emphasising country of origin, country of transit as well as country of destination," he said.

"That has been our perspective and will remain to be the case."

There are now more than 6000 asylum seekers in detention in various facilities in Australia, including on Christmas Island, where more than 2500 are housed.

Indonesia remains a major transit point for asylum seekers heading to Australia but is yet to outlaw people smuggling, despite President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announcing in a speech to the Australian parliament in March last year that he would do so.

Despite the delay in even getting the proposed laws beyond the committee stage, Dr Natalegawa said Indonesia remained committed to making people smuggling illegal.

"We are still very much committed not for any other reason apart from the fact that we have our own real interest in ensuring the kind of crime that is committed by people smugglers receives the proper attention that it deserves," he said.

"It is still a priority very much for the government and I hope to be able to sooner rather than later (announce) significant progress on that.

"But it is a matter that we attach a great deal of importance on," he said.

© 2011 AAP
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