Australia reiterates support for RI's territorial integrity
Australia reiterates support for RI's territorial integrity
Agencies, Sydney, Australia
Australia could face an unstable region if the Indonesian
province of Aceh becomes independent, Foreign Minister Alexander
Downer warned on Sunday.
"Australia's position is to support the territorial integrity
of Indonesia," he said. "Obviously we would prefer a negotiated
settlement."
"My concern is that if Indonesia as a state gradually broke
up, if you started to abandon the colonial boundaries, the
concept of the Dutch East Indies becoming the Republic of
Indonesia, it would set in place a chain reaction," Downer said
on ABC television.
He said such a development would result in a "disastrous
security situation in Southeast Asia."
"It would set people against people in the region, possibly
having quite direct international implications," Downer said.
He said while it might not directly involve Australia, a break
up would result in "us having a fundamentally unstable region
just to our north."
"We have enough problems in the region without compounding
them by supporting the dissolution of Indonesia," he said.
Downer said Australia strongly supported Indonesia's defense
of its territorial integrity by opposing Aceh separatists.
Downer said Australia's ambassador to Indonesia, David
Ritchie, had discussed Aceh with Indonesian ministers on Friday.
There were assurances that Jakarta had left the door open for
negotiations with Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
"Now is it up to GAM to go to the Indonesians and say they
will hand down their weapons and return to the negotiating table
and the Indonesians will accept that," Downer said.
Indonesia launched a military offensive in the oil- and gas-
rich province of Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island,
last week after talks in Tokyo failed to salvage a Dec. 9 cease-
fire. The rebels refused to give up their independence bid and
both sides accused the other of violating a truce.
The military has around 30,000 troops in the region against
poorly equipped guerrillas, estimated to number 3,000 to 5,000.
The campaign is Indonesia's largest military operation since
it invaded East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, in 1975. In
the years that followed East Timor also saw a separatist
insurgency.
In 1999 it broke free of Indonesian rule through a UN-
sponsored ballot that ignited a wave of violence by pro-Jakarta
forces. Australian troops led an international force that
restored order and so allowed East Timor to become fully
independent last year.
However, in his interview Downer signaled that Australia's
position on Aceh is much different.
The Free Aceh Movement has been fighting for independence
since 1976. About 12,000 people have been killed in the conflict.