Asia's giants back ASEAN's support for RI

Asia's giants back ASEAN's support for RI

By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat

BANGKOK (JP): A day after receiving support for its national
integrity in an ASEAN communique, Indonesia enjoyed another
diplomatic boost on Wednesday when the foreign ministers from
China, Japan and South Korea voiced similar support in a joint
statement.

The three-paragraph statement was issued following the first
formal meeting of the "ASEAN+3", which groups the foreign
ministers from the 10 member states of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their counterparts from the
three northeast Asian nations.

"The foreign ministers commended the approach undertaken by
the Indonesian government in its efforts to reach a peaceful
solution to its problems in Aceh and Irian Jaya (Papua) through
dialog and reconciliation consistent with its efforts to maintain
the momentum of political and economic reform," the statement
reads.

The Joint Statement of ASEAN+3 in Support of the Sovereignty,
Territorial Integrity and National Unity of Indonesia also
"commended the efforts and measures taken by the Indonesian
government to restore peace in these provinces and encouraged the
international community to support the Indonesian government in
its humanitarian relief efforts to the people in need".

The foreign ministers recognized the stability and prosperity
of Indonesia would positively contribute to peace in the entire
Asian region.

While such statements of support are not new, it marks another
diplomatic triumph for Indonesia in stifling separatist movements
that have gained in intensity since the downfall of the New Order
regime of former president Soeharto.

The ASEAN+3 is a new forum which was only recently formalized
as an avenue of dialog between ASEAN and the three northeast
Asian powers.

The brief two-hour meeting here was sandwiched between the
two-day ASEAN Ministerial Meeting which ended on Tuesday, and the
one-day ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) political-security dialog
which will take place on Thursday.

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab did not
attend Wednesday's meeting, and is not expected to attend the ARF
meeting after returning to Indonesia on Tuesday night to take
part in the National Awakening Party (PKB) congress. Alwi is a
candidate for the party's chairmanship.

He is due back in Bangkok on Thursday night or Friday morning.

Alwi was represented on Wednesday by his director general for
political affairs, Hassan Wirajuda, who attended the session as a
"special envoy".

According to Hassan, "even before we requested" several
countries had taken the initiative to ask the ASEAN+3 to issue a
statement in support of Indonesia.

"We welcomed it," he said, adding that "as a collective
statement, yes this is something new. But if we look at the
process it is really a reiteration of the individual support
already given".

Hassan also noted this was part of Jakarta's diplomatic
efforts to "fence in efforts from inside the country to violate
our national integrity".

Cooperation

Discussing the atmosphere of this inaugural meeting of the
ASEAN+3, Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs and ASEAN chairman
Surin Pitsuwan said it was a "constructive and good beginning".

He said the ministers saw the potential benefits of holding
such meetings and agreed to hold further dialogs in the future.
"We agreed that we should make use of the time at the (UN)
General Assembly in New York in September to meet once a year
there too .... We want to make it a retreat if possible so
everyone will be informal and candid".

The foreign ministers also agreed to intensify cooperation in
developing the region, while recognizing the importance of the
development of the Mekong Basin to promote ASEAN economic
integration with a view toward reducing economic disparities.

In this context, the ministers expressed their full support
for the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's
designation of the years 2000 to 2009 as the Decade of Greater
Subregion Development Cooperation.

The ministers also discussed preparations for the ASEAN+3
Summit, which is scheduled to be held in Singapore on Nov. 25.