RI to act as coordinator in PMC dialog with U.S.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will act as the coordinating country
\nfor member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
\n(ASEAN) during its dialog with the United States at the upcoming
\nPost Ministerial Conference (PMC) here next week.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas told journalists
\nyesterday that, accompanied by ASEAN senior officials, he will be
\nfacing his American counterpart.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia is coordinating country for the dialog with the
\nUnited States, so I will be sitting face to face with Secretary
\nof State Warren Christopher, but I will be flanked by senior
\nofficials from ASEAN,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The annual Post Ministerial Conference is scheduled to be held
\non July 24 to July 25. It brings together the seven members of
\nASEAN -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
\nThailand and Vietnam -- with its dialog partners.<\/p>\n
ASEAN's dialog partners are Australia, Canada, China, the
\nEuropean Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea
\nand the United States.<\/p>\n
Apart from a plenary session involving all participating
\nforeign ministers, ASEAN would also hold separate meetings with
\nthe individual dialog partners.<\/p>\n
Previously, all seven ASEAN foreign ministers would gather to
\nmeet with the dialog states' ministers one by one.<\/p>\n
However, as the number of dialog partners expanded, the number
\nof ASEAN ministers meeting one dialog partner has decreased. Last
\nyear, the formula called for three ASEAN foreign ministers
\naccompanied by senior officials to meet with a dialog partner's
\nminister.<\/p>\n
This year, Indonesia proposed that one ASEAN minister acting
\nas coordinator for the accompanying senior officials from the
\nother six ASEAN states meet with one of the dialog partners.<\/p>\n
This proposal was put forward and accepted because of the
\ngrowing size of the PMC.<\/p>\n
China, India and Russia are the newest members of the Post
\nMinisterial Conference.<\/p>\n
Each ASEAN member has thus been assigned to coordinate talks
\nwith a dialog partner. Brunei will coordinate talks with
\nAustralia; Indonesia with the U.S.; Malaysia with Canada and
\nChina; the Philippines with Korea; Singapore with the European
\nUnion; India and Thailand with Japan; and Vietnam with India and
\nRussia.<\/p>\n
\"We hope we can hold simultaneous meetings and conclude them
\nwithin the two days,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The two-day Post Ministerial Conference wraps up a week of
\nmeetings, which begins with an ASEAN ministerial meeting on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the proposal to designate all seven ASEAN states
\nunder one time zone, Alatas said Indonesia welcomes it. However,
\n\"it needs to be studied further,\" he said. \"Indonesia alone has
\nthree different time zones, each an hour apart.\"<\/p>\n
He explained that the western Indonesian time zone, where
\nJakarta is located, could probably be considered for the
\nsuggestion, since Thailand and Vietnam are also on the same zone.<\/p>\n
\"The problem of different time zones in eastern and central
\nparts of Indonesia can't be easily resolved,\" he said, adding
\nthat a special working group has been established to study the
\nmerits of the proposal. (mds)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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