Indonesia ups pressure on RP to ban talks on E. Timor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government and two youth organizations, in
\nseparate actions, put further pressure on the Philippine
\ngovernment yesterday to ban a controversial conference on East
\nTimor in Manila later this month.<\/p>\n
Foreign Ministry spokesman Irawan Abidin said Indonesia may
\nrevoke it's offer of sponsoring peace talks between the
\nPhilippine government and the Moro Moslem rebel movement if the
\nEast Timor conference took place, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
The East Timor conference is scheduled to take place between
\nMay 31 and June 3, 1994.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI), the umbrella
\ngroup for dozens of youth organizations, sent a delegation to
\npresent a petition to the Philippine government. The petition
\ncontained a warning that, by allowing the conference, the
\nPhilippine government could be jeopardizing the \"solidarity\" that
\nhas been built over the years between the two neighbors.<\/p>\n
The delegation of 30 was led by Chairman of KNPI, Tubagus
\nHaryono.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Muhammadiyah Youth said it would support the
\nplan to call for a Moro conference in Indonesia, bringing Moslem
\nleaders from all over the world, if Manila failed to stop the
\nEast Timor conference.<\/p>\n
The criticisms against the Philippine government came despite
\nappeals from members of the House of Representatives to simply
\nignore the conference because it would simply create more
\nnegative publicity for Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas this week told an envoy
\nof Philippine President Fidel Ramos that Indonesia was
\ndisappointed at Manila's inability to stop the \"Asia-Pacific
\nCongress on East Timor\" and pointed out that the meeting was
\nbeing used as a forum to attack Indonesia by people who oppose
\nEast Timor's integration with Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Ramos pointed out that the Philippine constitution does not
\nallow for the government to ban a congress organized by non-
\ngovernmental organizations. As a compromise, they promised to try
\nto minimize the impact of the East Timor conference.<\/p>\n
Ramos on Monday sent former foreign secretary Raul Manglapus
\nto sooth Indonesia and reiterated the Philippine government's
\nrelentless support of Indonesia's sovereignty over East Timor.<\/p>\n
But the Indonesian government was apparently not convinced
\nthat the Philippine government had done its utmost.<\/p>\n
Irawan told Antara yesterday that the Moro talks, which were
\noriginally planned for next month, \"will definitely be postponed\"
\nif Indonesia did not get an appropriate response from Manila.<\/p>\n
He stressed that his statement was not a threat.<\/p>\n
\"I'm quite sure that the Philippine Constitution must have
\narticles that allow the government to take certain actions in the
\ninterest of the nation,\" he was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n
The KNPI delegation yesterday also unfurled a huge poster
\nalong the Philippine Embassy gate which said: \"Stop the Asia-
\nPacific Conference on East Timor or bilateral ties will be
\naffected.\"<\/p>\n
In a statement signed by chairman Ali Taher Parasong, The
\nMuhammadiyah Youth condemned the Philippine government for
\nallowing the organizers of the conference to hold the meeting and
\nwarned that such an action \"amounted to an interference in the
\ndomestic affairs of Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
Solidarity<\/p>\n
He pointed out that Indonesia had always refrained from
\nmeddling in the Philippine's affairs, in the spirit of the
\nsolidarity among members of the Association of Southeast Asian
\nNations (ASEAN).<\/p>\n
A number of industrialists affiliated with the local chapter
\nof the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) in
\nSamarinda, East Kalimantan, canceled a planned investment program
\ninvolving billions of dollars in 15 different strategic sectors
\nin Davao, Philippines because of the East Timor Conference.<\/p>\n
\"National pride is more important than business interests,\"
\nthe head of the Samarinda Kadin office, Harbiyansah, was quoted
\nby the official Antara news agency as saying.<\/p>\n
In Manila, an aide to Ramos said the president was looking for
\nways to appease Indonesia over the row, AFP reported.<\/p>\n
\"They are still discussing options on how not to make it
\ndifficult for everyone concerned, how to be fair to everyone
\nconcerned,\" presidential press secretary, Jesus Sison, said.<\/p>\n
The planned conference has also drawn sharp criticism from
\nparliamentarians and local NGOs who say Manila is neglecting the
\nspirit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
\n(emb)<\/p>",
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