RI welcomes Manila's move against East Timor talks<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Philippine President Fidel Ramos may be drawing
\ndomestic fire for his decision to put the brakes on a conference
\non East Timor in his country, but the move seems to be healing
\nthe strained bilateral relations with Indonesia.<\/p>\n
While not outright banning the conference, he has prevented
\nforeign participation, which should deprive it of any real barn
\nburners<\/p>\n
Yesterday Ramos defended his decision and voiced the hope that
\nit will help Indonesian anger over the meeting to subside.<\/p>\n
He said foreign and local human rights groups might assail him
\nfor the ban, but added that Indonesia is \"a valuable ally\" and
\nthat it is more important to preserve harmonious ties with
\nJakarta, Reuters reported from Manila.<\/p>\n
The meeting scheduled between May 31 and June 4 and organized
\nby private groups had Jakarta furious, complaining that a forum
\nwas being provided by a close friend to enemies of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The issue at one time verged on threatening diplomatic
\nrelations between the two neighbors with Indonesia insisting that
\nManila ban the conference. The Philippines said its constitution
\nprotects free speech.<\/p>\n
\"The dictates of higher national interest are paramount,\"
\nRamos told reporters in southern Davao, where he was inspecting
\ngovernment projects.<\/p>\n
\"Reliable reports indicate that the conference is a forum for
\nthe active advocacy of highly political matters by non-Filipinos
\non topics adversely affecting good bilateral relations with a
\nclose neighbor,\" Ramos said. \"This we cannot allow.\"<\/p>\n
Initial reaction<\/p>\n
Indonesia's initial reaction came on Friday but it was
\nsomewhat cautious as it was in response to press reports out of
\nManila.<\/p>\n
\"If what has been reported by the press was actually the
\ndecision of President Ramos, then we welcome the decision because
\nit reflects the views and evaluations that we have been giving
\nabout the conference since the beginning,\" Minister of Foreign
\nAffairs Ali Alatas said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\"This conference was fully inspired, planned and engineered by
\npeople like Ramos Horta and friends .. It's clearly part of Ramos
\nHorta's political campaign to attack and discredit Indonesia and
\nto disrupt the territorial integrity of Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
If the conference proceeds, without foreign participants,
\n\"then this is obviously their (Philippine's) domestic problem and
\nwe're entitled to make our own judgment,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian anger has not been limited to diplomatic circles.<\/p>\n
Moslem groups are planning to hold a conference on the
\nsecessionist Moslem Moro movement in the Philippines and
\nbusinessmen have canceled their participation in a business
\nmeeting in the southern city of Davao this week, forcing the
\norganizers to postpone the gathering.<\/p>\n
Ramos said he welcomed the postponement of the business
\nmeeting \"as it can serve as an effective mechanism to cool down
\nheightened passions.\" (emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-welcomes-manilas-move-against-east-timor-talks-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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