P,

The editorial was written before the meeting and expresses the editors opinion of what should happen not what has happened. Secondly, I notice that excluded from the editorial (and most commentary from Indonesia) is turning back the boats. This is most probably because turning back the boats has nothing to do with Indonesia's sovereignty.

The abject failure of Dudd or Juliar at the Bali process to achieve anything is due to the generalized nature of the Bali process that applies to all 45 members, and similar to the UN has turned into a talkfest where much is said, and little is done.

A bilateral meeting will deal specifically with Indonesian boats leaving Indonesia, with Indonesian crews heading for Australia, and the generalities of regional problems are abandoned for specifics of a local problem. Abbott in a few weeks has trumped anything done by labor in 5 years.

Yes, reading anything but News Ltd
prejudices one so.

<<Yes, reading anything but News Ltd
prejudices one so>>

Say's someone who thinks New Matilda is balance and fair.

ROFL

SM,

"This is most probably because turning back the boats has nothing to do with Indonesia's sovereignty."

Well, Tony seems to have stepped back a tad on his party's chest-thumping rhetoric of late...but you would, being the guest of Indonesia.

Of course, you ignore the fact that Mr Abbott has forced onto the back foot to give such a reassurance because of the same hot-headed rhetoric.

If his government had been more circumspect in its rants, he wouldn't have need to make such a remark - it would have been taken as a given.

"Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa says he is not sure what Mr Abbott's pledge means for his policies.

"We'll have to wait and see, don't we. What am I to say? I mean, we'll see," Mr Natalegawa said."

Foxy,

A typical idiotic comment considering none of the quotes were from Newscorp. No wonder left whingers are so fond of censorship.

Gawd, SM,

You really are some spectacular spin machine.

".....No wonder left whingers are so fond of censorship."

Grotty opportunistic LNP censorship off the agenda...is it?

Hope you enjoy watching Tony bumble (embarrassingly) through the visit...because they'll be shoving him back in his box the minute he arrives home.