Indonesia sticks to 'nonintervention' idea<\/p>\n
PETALING JAYA (JP): Malaysia's proposal for "constructive
\nintervention" in foreign relations failed to find support among
\nother delegates at the ongoing ASEAN meeting here.<\/p>\n
Indonesia insisted yesterday that ASEAN should stick to its
\nbasic tenet of "nonintervention".<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said ASEAN was not
\nconsidering such a policy. "That's not an ASEAN policy," Alatas
\nsaid when asked by The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
"ASEAN continues to pursue the same policy, constructive
\nengagement," he added.<\/p>\n
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim suggested in an
\ninternational magazine article last week that the Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) consider adopting "constructive
\nintervention" -- intervening before simmering problems erupt.<\/p>\n
Anwar said the political turmoil in Cambodia was an example
\nwhere "constructive intervention" would have been plausible. He
\nargued that ASEAN must change its stance from being reactive to
\nbecoming more proactive.<\/p>\n
Alatas brushed aside the idea, saying it only represented the
\nview of one person. "It was only one article," he said, adding it
\nhad not been discussed in the two-day ASEAN ministerial meeting.<\/p>\n
"Don't make it bigger than it is. It's only a view expressed
\nby Anwar Ibrahim, not ASEAN's," he remarked.<\/p>\n
A senior foreign ministry official with the Indonesian
\ndelegation told Indonesia nonintervention remains a strong credo
\nwhich must be upheld continuously.<\/p>\n
"The problem is that the word 'intervention' invites various
\ninterpretations and could be misconstrued by some," said the
\ndelegate, who asked not to be named.<\/p>\n
Indonesia believed that, in the case of Cambodia, ASEAN would
\nplay a role only if "welcomed" by all the parties concerned.<\/p>\n
"It could also lead to an unhealthy precedent on when and what
\nkind of issues could be intervened," he said, adding that such a
\nconcept would require long debates and discussion before being
\ntaken into consideration.<\/p>\n
The incoming ASEAN Secretary General Rodolfo Severino told the
\nPost that it was still unclear how one would define "constructive
\nintervention".<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, he admitted that it was an interesting idea.<\/p>\n
"It makes a lot of sense, but of course we'd have to go into
\nit deeper and discuss it more, because we have to define it
\nfurther... but it's thought provoking," Severino said.<\/p>\n
Foreign policy experts in Jakarta had mixed reactions
\nyesterday to the Malaysian proposal.<\/p>\n
"This will represent a significant progress if ASEAN adopts
\nthe constructive intervention principle," said Dewi Fortuna Anwar
\nof the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.<\/p>\n
Dewi said "constructive intervention" must be used sparingly,
\nsuch as when the region's stability was threatened, or when
\nevents in one country became too worrisome for its neighbors.<\/p>\n
And it must be adopted as an ASEAN consensus, she said. "It
\nmust not be a unilateral decision."<\/p>\n
Koesnanto Anggoro of the Centre for Strategic and
\nInternational Studies cautioned ASEAN in applying the idea.<\/p>\n
ASEAN members must still discuss the rules of the game and
\ndefine what conditions justify constructive intervention, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Indonesia must also be cautious. "We have to be careful
\nbecause Indonesia has some domestic problems, such as East
\nTimor," he added. (mds\/09)<\/p>",
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