Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he is confident that a code of conduct between Australia and Indonesia can be finished within weeks, smoothing the path for relations to return to normal after last year's spying revelations.
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As he prepared to fly to Indonesia for his first meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in six months, Mr Abbott signalled the quick visit would not finalise the code, which Jakarta has demanded as a way to rebuild trust.
His remarks came as a senior Indonesian parliamentarian said Australia should stop playing the ''white sentiment game'' and accept that it is part of Asia.
Mr Abbott said Australian officials were working on a draft of the code that had been written by Indonesia, but this should be finalised at the 2+2 dialogue between the two countries' foreign and defence ministers, whose date is yet to be set but is expected in coming weeks.
''These international agreements sometimes take a little while to negotiate,'' Mr Abbott said. ''The Indonesians took some time to give us their draft. We are now working on their draft and I am confident … that when the Foreign Minister and the Defence Minister sit down for the 2+2 dialogue in a few weeks' time that would be a very good time to finalise this code of conduct.''
The code, which will include agreements on future spying activities, is seen as one of the main obstacles to good relations, though Australia's boat turn-back policy has also angered Jakarta.
In November, it was revealed that Australian spies had targeted the personal mobile phones of Dr Yudhoyono and his inner circle.
The deputy chairman of parliament's foreign affairs committee, Tantowi Yahya, said Australia's feeling of being different from the region ''does not fit within today's geopolitics situation''.
''Asia is the world's future, and Indonesia is the most important player in the Asia-Pacific region. It's better if Australia doesn't harm its good relations with Indonesia. Australia cannot play the white sentiment game any more.''
Mr Abbott will stop on Wednesday for less than one day at Batam Island, off the coast of Sumatra, before flying to Canada and the United States.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has said it is a chance to "review the status of the relationship". "The ball is in Australia's court," Dr Natalegawa said.
Dr Yudhoyono's international affairs adviser, Teuku Faizasyah, said it was ''in the mutual interest of the two countries to have the code of conduct ready at the earliest time possible''.
Also on Tuesday, General David Hurley, Chief of the Defence Force, confirmed that joint military exercises between the two countries remained on ice five months on from the spying revelations.
General Hurley said military relations would not return to normal ''until the political leadership of both countries agree that we will do so''. Seven exercises have been cancelled or postponed since November.
