RI defends its call for KL timber ban<\/p>\n
Agencies, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
Indonesia appealed on Thursday for Malaysia's help in combating
\nthe trade in illegal timber from its forests and defended its
\ncall for a ban on Malaysian lumber in Europe.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the sidelines of a major UN conference on
\nbiodiversity here, Indonesia's Environment Minister Nabiel
\nMakarim said the boycott call was "a last resort".<\/p>\n
Fighting back against Malaysia's claims that Indonesia was not
\ndoing enough to curb illegal logging, he said Jakarta was making
\nits best effort despite limited resources and administrative
\nweaknesses.<\/p>\n
Nabiel on Thursday also called for talks with his Malaysian
\ncounterpart in solving Indonesia's problem of illegal logging of
\nendangered timber, and urged both parties to stop "finger-
\npointing".<\/p>\n
"Illegal logging is still going on, at a larger scale than
\never before," said Nabiel.<\/p>\n
"Our efforts become difficult because as long as the demand is
\nthere, it is difficult to curb the supply side," he told
\nreporters at the sidelines of a United Nations-backed Convention
\non Biological Diversity (CBD).<\/p>\n
"If Malaysia becomes a transit for the logs, Malaysia should
\nstop it," he told reporters.<\/p>\n
"We ask our neighbors to help us because it's in the interest
\nof Malaysia, too."<\/p>\n
"It's our forests. Do you think we are sleeping? We do what we
\ncan do but it's not enough. The fight has become harder because
\nthe demand side is not responding," he said.<\/p>\n
"That's why we would like to have Malaysia on our side, it
\nwill make our fight easier."<\/p>\n
Nabiel said Indonesia's call for a ban on Malaysian timber was
\nthe only fair and effective way to curb the illegal lumber trade
\nif talks failed, noting that there were also calls for a ban on
\nIndonesian timber.<\/p>\n
"We are in the same basket ... that's why we have to start
\ndiscussions," he said.<\/p>\n
"Let's stop finger-pointing at each other. We will benefit
\nfrom working together."<\/p>\n
An informal bilateral meeting will be held on March 15 in
\nJakarta to seek a solution to illegal logging and the trade of
\nillegal timber, following up on a first meeting last month.<\/p>\n
Nabiel said illegal logging was ravaging Indonesia's forests
\nat an alarming rate and triggering floods and mudslides.<\/p>\n
European Union environment commissioner Margot Wallstrom said
\nthe dispute between the two neighbors was "regrettable" and she
\nwas working with both parties to draw up a credible certification
\nscheme to resolve the problem.<\/p>\n
She rejected the call for a total ban on Malaysian timber but
\nsaid the EU was considering plans to make it compulsory to obtain
\nimport permits to bring the endangered hardwood ramin into
\nEurope.<\/p>\n
"You cannot simply ban everything because there will be
\nserious social and economic impacts but we are considering the
\nlisting of ramin in our regulations which would mean a need for
\nimport permits," she said.<\/p>\n
Wallstrom urged Malaysia to link its timber certification
\nscheme to other global verification schemes so that documents
\ncould not be easily falsified.<\/p>\n
Last week, Malaysia slammed Jakarta for trying to undermine
\nits wood exports and accused U.S. activists of tarnishing its
\nimage in a report alleging large-scale smuggling of illegal
\nIndonesian timber.<\/p>\n
The study, Profiting from Plunder, was compiled by the
\nindependent Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and its
\nIndonesian partner Telapak, which said it was based on two years
\nof investigation.<\/p>\n
The EIA said it showed how ramin wood was smuggled from
\nIndonesia into Malaysia and then re-exported with false
\ndocumentation.<\/p>\n
It alleged that local officials were facilitating the illegal
\ntrade and urged the United States to impose trade sanctions on
\nMalaysia.<\/p>",
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