RI denounces rich countries' unilateral actions<\/p>\n
UNITED NATIONS (Agencies): Indonesia on Monday denounced
\n\"unilateral and arbitrary\" actions by industrialized countries
\nwhich could undermine multilateral bodies such as the World Trade
\nOrganization (WTO).<\/p>\n
In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Indonesian
\nForeign Minister Ali Alatas also indirectly criticized the United
\nStates for controversial legislation punishing states for trading
\nwith Cuba, Iran and Libya.<\/p>\n
He argued for a strengthening of the United Nations, saying
\nthat \"constructive initiatives are needed, and multilateralism
\nhas to be reasserted and strengthened.\"<\/p>\n
Concerning the WTO, which is due to meet in Singapore in
\nDecember, Alatas expressed alarm \"at the tendency of some
\ndeveloped countries to resort to a new form of protectionism in
\nthe guise of linking labor standards and other social and
\nenvironmental concerns to trade.\"<\/p>\n
\"Such efforts will not only denigrate the developing
\ncountries, it will also ultimately debilitate the WTO itself.\"<\/p>\n
He called on all trading partners to refrain from overloading
\nthe Singapore meeting with \"issues extraneous to trade.\"<\/p>\n
\"Let us together nurture the WTO as the guardian of a
\npredictable, non-discriminatory multilateral trading system and
\nthe guarantor of the rights of the weaker trading partner against
\nunilateral and arbitrary actions by the strong.\"<\/p>\n
Some countries are pressing for the WTO's Dec. 9 to
\nDec.13 meeting to take up investment rules, labor and
\nenvironmental standards, government procurements and corruption
\nas issues which affect trade.<\/p>\n
But Asian and other developing countries fear that bringing in
\nsuch issues could result in new forms of protectionism, such as
\ndemands for them to raise workers' wages or comply with tough
\nenvironmental standards for their exports.<\/p>\n
Alatas added that his country shared concern \"at the practice
\nof some countries of promulgating national laws with extra-
\nterritorial application that adversely have impacts on the
\nlegitimate interests of other countries.\"<\/p>\n
\"We cannot accept the imposition of the law of the strong in
\nplace of dialog and negotiation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Without referring directly to Washington, Alatas said that \"no
\none country, no matter how powerful, should be allowed to
\nunilaterally regulate the lives of other sovereign countries.\"<\/p>\n
Council<\/p>\n
In another part of his speech Alatas said that there are too
\nmany European countries on the United Nations Security Council
\nand called for redefining criteria to choose permanent members in
\nthe body.<\/p>\n
Alatas said the track records of candidates for permanent
\nmembership should cover both regional and global achievements.<\/p>\n
\"It is an anachronism and a gross anomaly that Europe is over-
\nrepresented, Asia underrepresented and Africa and Latin America
\nnot represented at all in the roster of the council's permanent
\nmembers,\" he noted.<\/p>\n
Alatas called for setting up criteria for the selection of new
\npermanent members, including their economic, political and
\ndemographic importance, and their commitment to responsibilities
\ninherent to a permanent member.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian foreign minister focused his address on reform
\nof the world organization and decried the body's chronic
\nfinancial crisis. He said there was a \"real danger\" that UN
\npeacekeeping operations might collapse because of the cash
\nshortage.<\/p>\n
\"No organization can function through starvation,\" Alatas
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Turning to nuclear disarmament, Alatas called for creating a
\nspecial committee in the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva to
\nbegin negotiation on the elimination of nuclear weapons now that
\nthe world has a nuclear test ban treaty.<\/p>\n
He added that Indonesia is in the last stage of ratifying the
\nUN convention on chemical weapons.<\/p>",
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