Belgium eager to participate in Aceh's reconstruction

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Belgium will play an active role in the reconstruction of Aceh following the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht said in Jakarta on Saturday.

"We have a plan to continue our humanitarian assistance to Indonesia. We would like to participate actively in the reconstruction of Aceh. In Meulaboh, we are there at the moment. We are involved in relief efforts there, and we will continue to be involved," De Gucht, who arrived in Jakarta on Friday as part of his tour of tsunami-affected areas, told The Jakarta Post in an exclusive interview.

It was his first trip to Indonesia since his appointment as Belgium's foreign minister in 2004.

De Gucht may be the foreign minister of a small country -- the total population of Belgium (about 10 million) is less than the population of Jakarta -- but the 51-year-old former student union leader plans to take an active role in post-tsunami reconstruction efforts.

"The main purpose of my visit to Indonesia one-and-a-half months after the tsunami tragedy was to see for myself the situation on the ground. And this tragedy happened in places where separatist movements exist. You have GAM in Aceh and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. The ongoing hostilities between rebels and government troops will certainly hamper the reconstruction work in these areas. We are concerned about this. I want to be fully informed about the situation," said De Gucht, who visited Sri Lanka before arriving in Indonesia.

During his three-day visit to Indonesia, Belgium's chief diplomat met with Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Friday and foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda on Saturday, and visited Meulaboh, Aceh, on Sunday.

The Belgian First Aid and Support Team, or B-FAST, and Medecins sans Frontieres-Belgium have concentrated their relief work in Meulaboh.

When asked about his meetings with Indonesian officials, De Gucht said both Kalla and Hassan commended Belgium's role in the relief efforts in Aceh.

"Both said that they were pleased by Belgium's response. They welcomed Belgium's plan to participate in Aceh's reconstruction and rehabilitation," he said.

De Gucht said Belgium has so far pledged 30 million euros (US$39 million) -- 15 million euros in emergency humanitarian aid and 15 million euros for reconstruction -- to tsunami-affected countries. Total donations from both individuals and private companies in Belgium reach almost 50 million euros.

"We will try to distribute Belgium's aid equally to Indonesia and Sri Lanka," the minister said.

As part of its emergency humanitarian aid for Aceh, Belgium contributed a plane-load of tents, generators, vehicles, food, stoves and medicine, as well as an A-130 military aircraft to help in the distribution of aid.

De Gucht said Belgium was concerned about accountability and proper auditing in the distribution of tsunami aid funds.

"It is very important to have an auditing mechanism. I will put my accent on it in Sri Lanka and here. The international donors want to see accurate controls and how the money is spent. If later it is found that malpractice and the misuse of money occurred, it would affect our countries' credibility. In the future, if any disaster occurred, people would be reluctant to donate money," De Gucht, who has a law degree, said.

On the question of how Indonesia figures in Belgium's foreign policy, the minister said Indonesia was an important country for Belgium.

"It (Indonesia) is the world's biggest Muslim country. Indonesia plays an important role in Southeast Asia. Since our foreign policy focus is on improving relations with Asia, ties with Indonesia are very important for us," De Gucht said.

Belgium and Indonesia have had cordial relations since 1950. Bilateral trade has been in favor of Indonesia for many years.

In 2004, as of September, Indonesia's exports -- mostly wood, furniture, textiles, garments, shoes and plastic products -- to Belgium reached about $576.46 million. Its imports from Belgium -- mostly machines, heavy vehicles and chemical products -- reached $169.75 million.