Solution still far on Spratlys<\/p>\n
BUKITTINGGI, West Sumatra (JP): An end to the decades-long
\ndisputes over the Spratly and Paracel Islands in the South China
\nSea remains a remote hope requiring great patience and effort to
\nbring about.<\/p>\n
An expert predicted yesterday that a long road lay ahead
\nbecause the concerned parties are only now beginning to learn to
\ncooperate among each other.<\/p>\n
"There are so many factors involved in the issue, especially
\nwhen it comes to the issue of confidence building measures,"
\nHasjim Djalal, a resource person at the fifth workshop on
\nmanaging potential conflicts in the South China Sea, said here
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a press conference after the closing of the five-
\nday workshop, he pointed out that disagreements still linger as
\nto whether the issue of the Spratlys and Paracels should be
\nincorporated and resolved in the workshop, or whether it should
\nbe broadened to cover a wider scope of "territorial disputes and
\nclaims".<\/p>\n
"In the previous workshops, the disputes and claims over the
\nSpratlys and Paracels were clearly included in the talks, but now
\nsome participants want to drop the issue, while others are
\nfighting to keep it in," he said.<\/p>\n
Thus, up to the end of the workshop, no consensus had been
\nreached as to whether the issue would be limited to the two
\narchipelagos.<\/p>\n
Hasjim, who is also Indonesia's Ambassador-at-Large for Law
\nof the Sea, explained that disagreements lingered not only in
\ndefining the area of the dispute, but also on the first topic of
\nthe Confidence Building Measures, which involve the non-expansion
\nof the existing military presence in the region.<\/p>\n
He explained that while the majority of participants supported
\nthe need of non-expansion of the existing military presence and
\nagreed to its significance, some had difficulty in expressing
\ntheir views, and others believed it was unnecessary to adopt any
\nof these measures for the time being.<\/p>\n
"One of the reasons there are so many problems in the South
\nChina Sea is that the participants have no experience in
\ncooperating. Their past experiences with each other are all
\nconfrontations," Hasjim pointed out.<\/p>\n
This is unlike the case of the Association of Southeast Asian
\nNations, which have some 27 years of experience in cooperating.
\n(pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/solution-still-far-on-spratlys-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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