Washington – Australia's top diplomat in the US has delivered a rousing speech in support of Indonesia and criticised the motives of fighters for the independence of Papua.

Ambassador Dennis Richardson's address yesterday to a US/Indonesia advocacy group in Washington was so supportive Indonesia's ambassador joked that he may soon be out of a job.

Mr Richardson, who served four years as a diplomat in Jakarta before returning to Australia to run ASIO, said critics of Indonesia's hold on Papua were misguided. Papua is a province of Indonesia, called West Papua by some residents who want to form an independent country.

Mr Richardson posed the question whether "those whose raison d'etre was East Timor" had simply adopted the Papuan cause.

"Perhaps those critics cling to an Indonesia which no longer exists and for them to accept the Indonesia of today and to reinforce the positive developments in Indonesia is to deprive them of their raison d'etre," he said.

"I certainly don't believe that policy approaches to Indonesia should be held hostage by the issue of Papua."

Mr Richardson also congratulated Indonesia on its efforts to tackle terrorism, after the four bombings in Bali and Jakarta since the devastating Kuta nightclub attacks in October 2002.

He said Indonesia's anti-terror efforts had resulted in the arrest of over 200 suspects, 40 convictions for involvement in the Bali bombings, and the death of terror mastermind Azahari.