Alatas denies ban on Roeslan speech in the Netherlands

Alatas denies ban on Roeslan speech in the Netherlands

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas denied
yesterday that the Indonesian embassy in The Hague has prevented
senior statesman Roeslan Abdulgani from making a public speech
before Indonesian students in the Netherlands.

Alatas told reporters yesterday that Roeslan had gone to the
Netherlands on a mission from President Soeharto and it was
unlikely that the embassy would bar him from making the speech.

"It is unlikely that the embassy deliberately ignored Pak
Roeslan. The ambassador (in the Netherlands) has a duty there and
cannot let personal matters affect his job.

"I think this is simply a case of miscommunication or
misunderstanding. I have also contacted the ambassador, and I
hope this matter could be cleared soon," he said.

"Let's not blow this issue out of proportion," Alatas told
reporters.

Roeslan, whose previous public offices include foreign
minister in 1956-1957 and chief adviser to President Soeharto on
ideological matters, has gone public about the mishap that befell
him in the Netherlands last week.

He said he had been asked to cancel the speaking engagement in
The Hague because it did not have the approval of the embassy.

He said no one from the embassy met him when he was in the
Netherlands. In contrast, he was met by embassy officials during
his stops in Paris and London, two other capitals that he visited
during his recent European tour.

Indonesia's ambassador to the Netherlands, J.B. Soedarmanto
Kadarisman, denied that he issued a ban against Roeslan and said
the embassy had tried to relocate the venue of the gathering
because the original site, a mosque, was considered too small.

A few days earlier, Soedarmanto met with Roeslan in London,
when they were attending a meeting of Indonesian student leaders
in Europe.

Alatas later yesterday afternoon left for Beijing for a three-
day official visit in response to an invitation from his Chinese
counterpart Qian Qichen.

The visit comes on the heels of the disclosure that Indonesia
had sent a diplomatic note to Beijing querying an official
Beijing map which puts Indonesia's Natuna islands in the South
China Sea within dotted lines, making it appear that the islands
come under Chinese sovereignty.

Beijing has not formally responded to the note but an official
of the Chinese foreign ministry early this month said China was
prepared to negotiate over the question of border delineation in
the South China Sea with Indonesia.

The Chinese gesture was quickly rejected by Indonesia, with
Alatas saying that Indonesia had no border dispute with China.

Asked whether he plans to discuss the border issue, Alatas
yesterday said: "Not specifically. Of course we will sit down
together and discuss various issues, everything that can be
discussed, including the matter in the South China Sea. But it
will not be a specific issue or a negotiation.

"On this issue, Indonesia's position is clear," he said.

Alatas said he would raise the issue of Chinese plans to
continue with nuclear testing, especially in view of the
comprehensive test ban treaty, which China also signed. (emb/mds)