RI backs Boutros-Ghali's bid for second term<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): International relations expert Juwono Sudarsono
\nsaid yesterday Washington is displaying its intention to dominate
\nthe U.N. by rejecting secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali's
\nbid for a second term.<\/p>\n
Juwono's comments come on the heels of a similar expression of
\nsupport from Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas,
\nwho said that Jakarta would support Boutros Ghali's candidacy.<\/p>\n
\"It seems that the mood now in the Security Council,
\nparticularly in America, is that the secretary-general should
\ncome from a developed country rather than from an African, Asian
\nor Latin American one,\" Juwono told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
\"They want to use the United Nations as their main vehicle for
\nlegitimizing their dominance,\" said Juwono, who is the professor
\nof international relations at the University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Washington has warned that it would use its exclusive veto
\npower if Boutros Ghali is elected to serve a second five-year
\nterm.<\/p>\n
Egyptian Boutros-Ghali took over the post as secretary-general
\nin 1992. His tenure ends this year.<\/p>\n
The United States has expressed dissatisfaction at Boutros
\nGhali's performance, pointing to his sluggish pace of
\nstreamlining the UN, along with failed policies in Bosnia and
\nSomalia as evidence of his incompetence.<\/p>\n
Even though Boutros Ghali has the support of most UN members,
\nWashington can overrule this majority decision with its veto.<\/p>\n
Alatas said that Indonesia, from the beginning, has supported
\nBoutros Ghali's candidacy and would continue to do so.<\/p>\n
\"We supported Boutros Ghali when he first became a candidate.
\nIf he wishes to continue, we would not have the least problem in
\ncontinuing to support him,\" Alatas told journalists at his
\noffice.<\/p>\n
Alatas maintained that there were various factors contributing
\nto the UN's past failures, and they cannot all be blamed on the
\nsecretary-general.<\/p>\n
Separately, Juwono said yesterday that in the past, the
\nposition was perceived as a mere seat to accommodate the
\npolitical symbolism of a Third World secretary-general catering
\nto the interests of the South.<\/p>\n
However, that has all changed, he said. With the demise of the
\nCommunist threat, the United States is more interested in its own
\nobjectives and less with the concerns and plight of the
\ndeveloping states.<\/p>\n
\"There is a sense of Darwinism now in America. They don't
\ncare,\" Juwono said, explaining that Washington would like to see
\na candidate who could fulfill their own aspirations.<\/p>\n
In the prevailing political climate in America, someone like
\nBoutros Ghali is not seen in a favorable light, he added. (mds)<\/p>",
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