Soeharto opens NAM summit<\/p>\n
By Rikza Abdullah<\/p>\n
CARTAGENA DE INDIAS, Colombia (JP): President Soeharto ended
\nhis chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) yesterday with
\na strong appeal to all 113 members to continue the group's
\npresent efforts to strive for a new world order.<\/p>\n
Soeharto opened the 11th NAM summit yesterday with a progress
\nreport on the programs pursued during his three-year tenure,
\nbefore he handed the chairmanship over to Colombian President
\nErnesto Samper Pizano.<\/p>\n
He emphasized that for the last three years NAM has been
\nworking towards the establishment of a new world order that is
\nbased on the principles of social justice, welfare and peace.<\/p>\n
This objective was mandated when the Indonesian leader assumed
\nNAM's chairmanship at the last summit in Jakarta in 1992.<\/p>\n
Soeharto said NAM should pursue the dialog between the wealthy
\ncountries of the North and the developing countries of the South
\nwith vigor, as well as the intensification of South-South
\ncooperation, both major items on NAM's agenda for the past three
\nyears.<\/p>\n
He also warned about growing pressure from industrialized
\ncountries which is creating new economic predicaments for
\ndeveloping nations.<\/p>\n
Ninety-five of NAM's 113 members are represented at the summit
\nwhich is held at the Centro de Convenciones in this Colombian
\nresort town overlooking the Carribean Ocean. At least 50
\ncountries are represented by their heads of government.<\/p>\n
Soeharto flew on board a special Garuda Indonesia DC-10 to
\nCartagena on Tuesday from the Mexican city of Cancun, where he
\nhad a 24-hour stay after the long flight across the Pacific from
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
His entourage includes First Lady Mrs. Tien Soeharto and
\nMinister\/State Secretary Moerdiono. Minister of Foreign Affairs
\nAli Alatas has been here for the last two days to attend the NAM
\nministerial meetings.<\/p>\n
From the Rafael Nunez airport, Soeharto was whisked in a
\nheavily guarded motorcade to the Cartagena Hilton hotel, where he
\nwill stay for the next four days.<\/p>\n
Soeharto also said in his speech that NAM had established
\ncooperation among its members in several areas, including food
\nproduction, family planning and debt management, in the last
\nthree years.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that NAM's initiative to establish a North-
\nSouth dialog to strengthen economic cooperation has since been
\nadopted into a United Nations resolution.<\/p>\n
NAM's \"quiet diplomacy\" also contributed to the historic
\nsigning of an agreement between North Korea, a NAM member, and
\nthe United States to ease tension on the Korean peninsula, he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Soeharto said much work stills need to be done by NAM.<\/p>\n
He listed the debt problems that are strangling the poorest
\ncountries in the world as one area that requires NAM's attention.<\/p>\n
While some industrialized countries have agreed to reduce the
\nbilateral and commercial debts of some of the least developed
\ncountries, Soeharto noted that none of them have heeded NAM's
\ncall for a reduction in multilateral debts. \"It's even impossible
\nto get their multilateral debts rescheduled.\"<\/p>\n
He also urged NAM to fight off the increasing tendency on the
\npart of the industrial countries to attach conditions, such as
\nlabor, human rights and environmental criteria, to their
\nfinancial assistance.<\/p>\n
Soeharto has also begun conducting bilateral meetings with
\nother leaders present at the summit.<\/p>\n
The first of these was Indian Prime Minister Narasimha Rao on
\nTuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Moerdiono told reporters that during the meeting, Soeharto
\nagreed to Rao's proposal for India to establish an earth station
\nin Irian Jaya to monitor the orbit of an Indian
\ntelecommunications satellite that will be launched soon.<\/p>\n
He was scheduled to meet Philippine President Fidel Ramos,
\nIraqi Foreign Minister Muhammad Said al-Sahaf and Iranian Foreign
\nMinister Ali Akbar Velayati yesterday.<\/p>\n
In the evening, the heads of the delegations were to attend a
\ndinner at the Casa de Fuerte de San Juan Manzalino, the
\npresidential guest house. The delegates were to be transported on
\nboard the ARC Gloria training vessel from Cartagena Naval Base.<\/p>\n
Future -- Page 5<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soeharto-opens-nam-summit-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }