Papua affair to top Australia-Indonesia summit

BATAM, Indonesia, June 25 (Reuters) Australia is expected to boost its support to Indonesia's territorial rights over Papua when leaders of the two neighbouring countries meet next week, the Indonesian foreign minister today said.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Australian Prime Minister John Howard are due to meet on Indonesia's Batam Island on Monday for talks hoped to repair bilateral ties that soured after Canberra granted temporary visas to 42 Papuan asylum seekers in March.

Indonesia believes Australia's decision to grant asylum undermines its sovereignty over Papua and gives credence to a separatist movement in the jungle-clad province. Indonesian politicians want Australia to review the decision.

''They will reject the idea of Papua separating from Indonesia.

There will be reinforcement from Australia that they do not want to be made as a staging point of the separatist group,'' Wirajuda said on the sidelines of a summit between Yudhoyono and his Singaporean counterpart in Batam.

The 42 Papuan asylum seekers came to Australia accusing Indonesia of conducting a genocide in their homeland, an accusation Jakarta denies.

The Indonesia-Australia summit comes days after a revolt by Australian government lawmakers forcing Howard to postpone changes in refugee laws which he wanted to pass ahead of his meeting with Yudhoyono.

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