Colombia urges NAM to fight drug trafficking

By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat

CARTAGENA DE INDIAS, Colombia (JP): On the eve of assuming the leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement, Colombia yesterday called for the inclusion of fighting against drug trafficking, a major concern to Latin American countries, on the group's agenda.

Colombian Foreign Minister Rodrigo Garcia-Pardo-Pena told journalists on the sideline of an on-going NAM ministerial meeting that one of the new issues that should be addressed by the organization during Bogota's three-year leadership is countering the power of drug barons.

"We have an unprecedented opportunity to give a strong blow to drug trafficking," Pena said.

Colombia, which will formally take over the leadership of the 113-nation NAM from Indonesia tomorrow at the organization's 11th summit, is one of several Latin American countries whose economies have virtually become dependent on drug money.

Pena assumed the chair of the NAM ministerial meeting which opened here on Monday to prepare the agenda for the summit.

Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, who opened the meeting before handing the chair over to Pena, underlined some of the major achievements that NAM has made during the course of Indonesia's leadership years.

Two issues that stand out most: The resumption of dialog between rich North countries and developing South countries, North-South dialog and the intensification of South-South cooperation.

"Much remains to be done of course, but, if we do not become complacent but continue to strive on, and if we just keep on going in the right direction, I believe it is inevitable that we will reach our goal," Alatas said.

Pena during the media conference pointed out that NAM must forge even greater cooperation to counter various issues and chronic problems facing the developing world.

"Too numerous in fact are the sources of concern of our peoples that require our joint efforts. Neo-interventionist policies, deepening of poverty, monopoly in advances in science and technology, the neo-protectionism of the industrialized countries, resurgence of nationalism, renewal of nuclear threats and traffic in illicit drugs, are among several matters," Pena said.

He said Indonesia's chairmanship has provided a foundation for NAM to grow stronger, and promised Colombia would continue the breakthroughs that NAM has achieved in the last three years.

The ministerial meeting on Monday was still deadlocked on the question of whether or not to admit Bosnia-Herzegovina as NAM's 114th member.

Conference sources said that many African states objected to Bosnia's inclusion, especially given that it is insisting on taking over the old seat of the former Yugoslavia.

Belgrade's membership has been frozen since 1992 because of its continued support of Serbian rebels in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, two former Yugoslav republics who are now recognized by the United Nations as sovereign states. Former Yugoslavia was one of NAM's founding members.

The sources said NAM countries were working out a compromise in which Bosnia would be admitted as a member, but not to replace the former seat of Yugoslavia.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Badawi on Monday called for NAM to adopt a new decision-making mechanism, one that does not require full consensus as at present.

"We should establish new procedures whereby no one member country should stand in the way of decisions if a huge majority of us are clearly for such decisions," Badawi said.

Meanwhile, Indonesian officials here said that President Soeharto, the outgoing NAM chairman, was expected to arrive later on Tuesday. The Indonesian delegation would be staying at the Hilton Hotel.

Soeharto was to fly in from Cancun, a Mexican resort city, where he spent one night after the long flight across the Pacific from Jakarta since Sunday.