Recent rows with Indonesia not to undermine ties: Australian PM

Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Sunday said the recent rows with Indonesia over Australia's granting visas to asylum seekers from Indonesian province of Papua will not undermine bilateral relationship.

Howard's comment came after The Australian, one of the leading newspapers in the country, on Saturday published a cartoon apparently depicting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and a Papuan as fornicating dogs.

The cartoon picture followed the publication in an Indonesian newspaper of a cartoon depicting Howard and Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer as copulating dingoes.

Rows had been there between the two countries when Indonesia recalled its ambassador in Canberra last month after Australian announced it decided to grant visas to 42 asylum seekers from Papua, in which separatist movement has been active.

The asylum seekers sailed from Papua to Australia in January in order to escape alleged genocide by the Indonesian police.

Howard also repeated that Australia does not want Papua to break away from Indonesia.

"We're going through a difficult patch, but I don't think it will undermine the strength of the relationship," he told Australia's Ten Networks television.

"We have turned a page in our relationship and that's not going to be turned back, although we're going to go through difficult times," he said.

Howard asked Indonesia to respect Australia's laws, saying Australia had shown respect for Indonesia's judicial processes.

He was referring to the case of Schapelle Corby, an Australian drug smuggler who was sentenced to 20 years in jail by an Indonesian court despite strong opposition from many Australians.

"I might reciprocate and say to our very good friends in Indonesia we understand how you feel about West Papua, we understand that, but we ask you to respect and accept the process that goes on in Australia about people coming from West Papua, and also accept my assurance that Australia has no designs at all on West Papua and we don't want West Papua to break away from Indonesia," Howard said.

Downer has condemned the cartoon on The Australian newspaper as "tasteless and grotesque."

Source: Xinhua