Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his sadness over the deaths of nine Australian military aid workers before he left for an historic Australian visit. Prime Minister John Howard, who is due to welcome Yudhoyono to Australia late on Sunday, said the Indonesian leader had telephoned him to offer Indonesia's help after the Navy helicopter crash on the Indonesian island of Nias. Yudhoyono's visit, the first by an Indonesian President to Australia since Abdurrahman Wahid in 2001, was designed to focus on stronger aid and security ties between the two neighbours, and was set to mark a new era of bilateral cooperation.
