Clinton promises to pursue human rights in Indonesia
Clinton promises to pursue human rights in Indonesia
By Sue Kendall
WASHINGTON (AFP): President Bill Clinton said on Thursday he will pursue human rights issues when he visits Indonesia next week for the APEC leadership meeting, but he will do so in private bilateral meetings.
"I don't think we have to choose between increasing trade and fostering human rights and open societies," Clinton said in a speech at Georgetown University.
"Experience shows us over and over again that commerce can promote cooperation, that more prosperity helps to open societies to the world."
"The advance of human rights and democratic values also require strong government-to-government contacts, so I'll continue to promote without apology those rights and values in Asia and around the world."
But Clinton made it clear that he would not be raising the thorny issue of human rights during Tuesday's APEC leadership meeting in the Indonesian city of Bogor.
"APEC is fundamentally an economic institution, so our meetings will focus on those questions," the U.S. president said.
He added, however that he would be covering a much wider agenda in his bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, which will include sessions with Indonesian President Soeharto and Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
"There will be private meetings and during them ....I'll raise our concerns about many other issues, including the progress of human rights and democracy in the region," Clinton said.
"I will be doing everything I can to be frank in terms of our differences as well as our potential partnerships with the Chinese, with the Indonesians and with others."
Much of the sting has gone out of the human rights debate with China since Clinton met Jiang in Seattle a year ago, when the U.S. president was under strong pressure from a vocal minority in the Democrat-controlled Congress to obtain human rights concessions from Beijing or cancel its trade privileges.
The link
Clinton finally decided in May to abandon the link between human rights and China's most favored nation trading status, and the sweeping Republican victory in Tuesday's U.S. elections is likely to ease the pressure further, analysts here say.
"A business code of conduct, or threat of congressional withdrawal of MFN, are far less likely now than they were a week ago," said Richard Brecher of the U.S.-China Business Council.
Clinton has called for U.S. businesses to draw up a code of conduct for operating in China to help promote human rights, something that has not been welcomed by the business community here.
The White House had been trying to make industry swallow the pill by warning that if it did not like the administration's version, the one put forward by Congress was likely to be even more unpalatable.
But now, "it is unlikely that Congress will do worse," Brecher said.
Clinton also said the United States will increase its economic stakes in Asia while encouraging stronger regional security agreements.
"I am going to Indonesia to say, 'we remain engaged,'" he said Thursday.
"We must say to the world that we will maintain and strengthen our bilateral security relationship with Japan, South Korea, with Australia, with the Philippines, with Thailand and others."
In addition to the forward presence of U.S. troops in Asia, Clinton said, "We will encourage stronger regional security structures" and will remain committed to a non-nuclear Korean peninsula.