Bot's visit strengthens bilateral ties

Bot's visit strengthens bilateral ties

Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot's three-day visit to
Indonesia, which ended on Friday, has opened a new chapter in the
relations between Jakarta and its former colonial master.

Putting the past aside, the two countries agreed
to push their bilateral relationship to new heights.

As a first step, The Netherlands extended its full support to
Indonesia's fight against terrorism.

During a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Hassan
Wirayuda on Thursday, Bot pledged to provide five million euros
to help finance Indonesia's efforts to combat terrorism,
particularly the activities of the Jakarta Center for Law
Enforcement Cooperation, an international counterterrorism school
based in Semarang, Central Java.

The Netherlands will also send a counterterrorism expert, Tom
Groten Heis, to train Indonesian officers at the school, which
also trains police personnel from the Asia-Pacific region.

The two countries also plan to hold a seminar on the
empowerment of moderate Islam, which Bot said was an important
part of fighting terrorism.

"We have explored how to strengthen the modern Islamic
boarding school system, among other things perhaps by enriching
education by providing vocational training for students," Hassan
said after the meeting on Thursday.

This gesture shows a break from the military approach of
Western countries in combating terrorism in Southeast Asia.

During a limited discussion at the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies in Jakarta, Bot said the fight against
terrorism must use both "soft" and "tough" approaches.

He said such efforts should include talking to the extremists
as well as moderate Muslims, and communicating certain messages
to the people.

The two foreign ministers also signed a memorandum of
understanding to renew and intensify bilateral cooperation. In
addition to meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Bot
also met with presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
before flying home on Friday.

The minister's visit was even more significant because the
Netherlands currently holds the presidency of the European Union
(EU). One of its most important tasks is ensuring the smooth
entry of 10 new EU members into the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), a
discussion forum on important issues of politics, economics and
sociocultural developments, and making sure the summit itself is
held as scheduled. This year's meeting will be held in Hanoi in
October.

Despite the controversy over Myanmar's participation in the
summit, Bot expressed confidence the meeting would go ahead.

While stressing that the EU-ASEAN relationship was more
important than an argument, Bot also expected the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations countries to show their goodwill in
ensuring the meeting went ahead as scheduled.

"We would like to see some signals also from your side that
you are trying to exert some pressure on Myanmar to improve his
human rights situation," he said in an interview.

Bot acknowledged that the negotiations posed a difficult task
for both the EU and ASEAN, but he was optimistic that his
Southeast Asian counterparts would keep on with their efforts.

He said a solution to the EU's participation in the ASEM
summit was expected to be decided on during an informal meeting
next week.