Bandung takes international stage once again<\/p>\n
By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): This quiet provincial town 180 kilometers south
\nof Jakarta seems an unlikely place to discuss world affairs. But
\ntomorrow it will host an important meeting with an agenda which
\nincludes many of the issues dominating today's international
\nscene.<\/p>\n
A three-day Ministerial Meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of
\nthe Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) will take place in preparation for
\nthe 11th NAM Summit in Cartagena, Colombia, next October.<\/p>\n
For Indonesia, the conference will be the last high level
\nmeeting of the group the country will host before handing over
\nthe NAM chairmanship to Colombia.<\/p>\n
Not only is it an opportunity for Indonesia to showcase itself
\nas it plays host to ministers and senior officials from 95
\ncountries and international organizations, but it is also a
\nchance to remind everyone that Bandung was the site of the 1955
\nAsia-Africa Conference which stimulated the formation of NAM.<\/p>\n
For NAM itself, the meeting is a chance to promote the
\norganization as an influential player at a time when so many
\ncrucial issues are set to be determined.<\/p>\n
A most important event this year is the United Nations' 50th
\nbirthday.<\/p>\n
Since the celebrations begin before the NAM summit, this
\nmeeting in Bandung is the only real opportunity for the movement
\nto reach a united stance and make a real impact on the important
\ndiscussions marking the UN's jubilee.<\/p>\n
Such a valuable opportunity has not gone unnoticed.<\/p>\n
Originally, only a press communique was to be released at the
\nend of the ministerial meeting in Bandung. However, at NAM's
\ncoordinating meeting in New York recently, it was decided that
\nthe status of their statement should be upgraded to a communique.<\/p>\n
\"So this is even more substantive,\" said NAM's chief executive
\nassistant, Nana Sutresna, underlining the potential impact of the
\ncommunique.<\/p>\n
Officials at the foreign ministry in Jakarta said the first
\ndraft of the communique had been given out this week.<\/p>\n
Two topics will directly focus on the UN: first, there will be
\nan attempt to agree upon a NAM declaration on the UN's first 50
\nyears.<\/p>\n
Second, the meeting will discuss the restructuring of the UN.
\nSpecifically, the question of permanent and non-permanent
\nmembership of the UN Security Council will be considered.<\/p>\n
NAM has long called for a restructuring of the Security
\nCouncil. Two months ago NAM issued a statement calling for an
\nenlargement of the Council from its current membership of 15 to
\n26, but fell short of making proposals on the question of
\npermanent seats.<\/p>\n
The most tricky issue will be defining the categories or
\ncountries to be nominated as a new permanent members.<\/p>\n
\"At this stage it is probably too difficult to come to a
\ncommon position on the criteria for enlarging the permanent
\nmembership,\" Nana said.<\/p>\n
Separately, NAM members India, Nigeria and Egypt have
\nindicated their respective desires for the coveted position.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has yet to formally announce its candidacy but has
\nstated that it should be considered as a potential candidate.
\nIndonesia recently claimed that it had gained backing from some
\n\"quite important\" countries in relation to a permanent seat.<\/p>\n
Given these complexities and the fact that NAM members would
\nbe competing against each other, it is hard to imagine that they
\nwill reach any sort of breakthrough in Bandung. The most likely
\noutcome is a reassertion of the need of UN restructuring.<\/p>\n
Another contentious issue which will gain much attention at
\nthe meeting is that of nuclear non-proliferation.<\/p>\n
The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is currently undergoing
\nreview at a conference in New York. The issue at hand is whether
\nto extend the NPT indefinitely or not.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has raised strong objections to an indefinite
\nextension, saying that nuclear disarmament of the nuclear weapon-
\nowning countries is an outstanding prerequisite.<\/p>\n
However, in this case Indonesia's objections cannot represent
\nthose of the NAM since a number of the members already support an
\nindefinite extension.<\/p>\n
The probability that this topic will receive serious
\ndiscussion could also be questioned on the basis that two central
\nmembers of NAM -- India and Pakistan -- are not party to the NPT.<\/p>\n
As NAM represents much of the developing world, the Bandung
\ntalks will also cover issues of economic development.<\/p>\n
As a visiting senior professor from Jawaharlal Nehru
\nUniversity in India said during a recent trip here, NAM has to
\ndecide where to go in terms of making the world a better place
\nfor Third World countries.<\/p>\n
\"How do you get better economic terms in dealing with the G-7
\ncountries? That will be one important issue,\" said Baladas
\nGhoshal, the chairman of the university's Centre for South,
\nCentral, Southeast Asian and Southwest Pacific Studies.<\/p>\n
The meeting should cover two main points: UN Secretary General
\nBoutros Boutros-Ghali's Agenda for Development and the
\ncontinuation of the North-South dialog\/cooperation.<\/p>\n
The Agenda for Development provides an outline of how the
\nworld could alleviate the miseries of developing nations.<\/p>\n
The North-South dialog will further address the problems of
\nunderdevelopment created by an unjust world economic system and
\nhow these problems can be resolved by the participation of the
\ndeveloped countries.<\/p>\n
The approach taken in the North-South cooperation includes
\nsuch programs as third party financing, whereby a developed
\ncountry would help fund South-South development projects.<\/p>\n
Although Nana has identified the above issues as the topics
\nwhich will gain special attention at the meeting, officials say
\nthat several other political issues are also on the agenda.<\/p>\n
These include the plight of Somalia, Burundi and the
\ndevelopments in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
The civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina is also contained in the
\nagenda and it is likely that Indonesia will try to increase its
\nmomentum by seeking NAM's support for President Soeharto's recent
\ninitiative of what he calls a \"comprehensive settlement.\"<\/p>\n
Considering the complexities of the topics to be discussed,
\nthe meeting will have an arduous time drawing-up a weighty
\nresolution on all the issues to be covered during the scheduled
\n18.5 hours of discussions.<\/p>\n
However, the very point of having the meeting in Bandung may
\nbe to try to rekindle the \"Bandung Spirit\", to guide the
\ndelegates in their search for justice for the developing nations.<\/p>",
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