South Pacific Island nations to attend Asian-African Summit<\/p>\n
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The upcoming Asian-African Summit (AAS) will not be an
\nexclusive meeting for Asian and African countries as most of the
\nSouth Pacific Island nations (excluding Australia and New
\nZealand) have been invited as full participants at the summit.<\/p>\n
The Pacific Island nations that are invited to the summit
\ncomprise Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New
\nGuinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tavalu and Vanuatu.<\/p>\n
Director for African Affairs at the foreign ministry, Bali
\nMoniaga confirmed that the Pacific countries would have full
\nmember status at the summit.<\/p>\n
\"The decision to invite the (Pacific) countries was based on a
\nlist of countries that consists of the Asian group. This list was
\nprovided by the United Nations. We used it (the UN data) to
\ndetermine participants from the Asian side,\" Bali told The
\nJakarta Post on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"We have received positive responses from these countries and
\na number of heads of state have confirmed their attendance at the
\nsummit,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Australia and New Zealand were invited as observers, he added.<\/p>\n
The government also invited developed nations such as the
\nUnited States, Britain, France, Germany and Canada as observers
\nto the summit.<\/p>\n
Indonesia and South Africa, the initiators of the summit, sent
\ninvitations to 104 countries of the two continents, 53 from Asia
\nand 51 from Africa.<\/p>\n
The summit, to be held in Jakarta from April 22 to April 23,
\nwas expected to launch a declaration on the New Asian-African
\nStrategic Partnership (NAASP).<\/p>\n
The first Asian-African Conference was held in Bandung, West
\nJava from April 18 to April 24, 1955 and attended by 29 countries
\n(including the five sponsoring countries). The conference then
\nlaunched the Ten Principles of Bandung.<\/p>\n
Many have stated that the principles issued 50 years ago were
\nstill relevant today, despite some very different political
\nconditions.<\/p>\n
According to Bali, more than half of the heads of state from
\nthe two continents had confirmed their attendance to the summit,
\nwhich should provide important momentum to boost cooperation
\namong Asian and African countries.<\/p>\n
\"It is a good achievement, some 70 countries have already
\nconfirmed their participation. More than half of the delegations
\nwill be led by a head of state,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government, which is said to be funding the
\nmeeting by itself, earlier said that about 56 heads of
\nstate\/government had so far confirmed their participation in the
\nsummit, while other countries might be represented by either a
\nvice president or key Cabinet minister.<\/p>\n
Bali, who is also a member of the national organizing
\ncommittee of the summit, went to New York last week to announce
\nthe results of the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), which was held
\nin Jakarta late last month.<\/p>\n
\"I briefed some 100 officials from Asian and African countries
\nin New York. I informed them about the results of the SOM because
\nmany of the countries did not attend the meeting,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The senior officials from dozens of Asian and African nations
\nare scheduled to meet again in Jakarta on April 19 to follow up
\non their two-day meeting last month.<\/p>\n
Showing its seriousness about making the summit success, the
\ngovernment appointed two prominent diplomats, Ali Alatas and Nana
\nSutrisno, as special envoys to invite leaders of the countries in
\nthe two continents to come to the Summit.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/south-pacific-island-nations-to-attend-asian-african-summit-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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