Alatas named special envoy to promote UN reform
Alatas named special envoy to promote UN reform
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed noted
Indonesian diplomat and former foreign minister Ali Alatas on
Tuesday as a special envoy to promote the much-debated UN reforms
prior to the General Assembly summit in September.
Annan also named as his envoys Irish Foreign Minister Dermot
Ahern, Mozambique's former president Joaquin Chissano and former
president of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo to help advance his reforms.
"The envoys will help the Secretary-General promote the bold
but achievable agenda put forward in his report," the UN
Information Center said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post
on Tuesday.
The center was referring to Annan's report on UN reforms
titled "In larger Freedom: Toward Development, Security and Human
Rights for All.
"All four have vast political experience, profound knowledge
of international relations, are committed to the cause of the
United Nations and are expected to travel around the world and
engage political leaders, civil society representatives,
academics and the media," it said.
"They will also present the broad package of proposals and
seek support for decisions that need to be taken by heads of
state and government at their September summit," it said.
The summit will take place in New York from Sept. 14 to Sept.
16.
Meanwhile, Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat, the secretary-general
of the ministry of foreign affairs, welcomed the appointment of
Alatas, a former foreign minister.
"It shows that we (Indonesia) can play an important role on
the international arena," he said.
Indonesia, which is also seeking a permanent seat on the
reformed UN Security Council, currently holds a number of
strategic posts in international organizations.
Indonesia's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva,
Makarim Wibisono, is chairman of the UN's Human Rights Commission
through 2005.
Sudjadnan himself will lead a special Committee on Nuclear
Disarmament during the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review
Conference to be held New York in May.