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.