Expert hails Soeharto's contribution to ASEAN

JAKARTA (JP): An American political scientist has hailed President Soeharto for unceasingly promoting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and allowing it to grow into a preeminent global organization.

Frederick Z. Brown of John Hopkins University said yesterday that Soeharto's support for Indonesia's neighbors was a strong pillar of the region's stability. This stability, in turn, has helped the region develop into an economically vibrant area of growth.

Speaking at the Worldnet dialog beamed directly from Washington to ASEAN capitals, Brown pointed to Soeharto's continued backing of Thailand as a frontline state during the Vietnam war and of former Philippine President Cory Aquino.

Indonesia is a founding member of ASEAN which now groups Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The organization marks its 30th anniversary this year.

Brown, who is associate director of the southeast Asian program at the University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, has much experience of the region having served as a U.S. foreign service officer in Thailand.

Presenting an outlook of the second Clinton administration's foreign policy toward southeast Asia, Brown said Washington's concerns over human rights would continue to be an element in bilateral ties with all countries in the region, including Indonesia.

However, he argued that policies would not concentrate on human rights.

"Human rights will be a prominent part of our policy vis-a-vis Indonesia, but it's not going to overcome or take the place of commercial interests or of a very good political relationship with your government," he said.

When asked by Asian panelists whether he thought the Clinton administration would pay less attention to southeast Asia in the next four years than in the last, Brown said that, due to the region's economic strength and stability, the U.S. no longer needed to give the region special attention.

"I do not think southeast Asia is going to occupy as important a place on the menu of foreign affairs of the United States as, say, the Middle Eastern peace process or the question of NATO expansion," he said.

"The region is doing very well on its own. You have the preeminent regional consultative organization in the world. You have strong economies, you are addressing the problems of your societies in one way or another. I wonder whether you really want the United States to pay more attention to southeast Asia."

During yesterday's live telecast, Brown had generous words for newly appointed Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and expected her to excel in her new post.

Brown said she would be "forthright" on matters such as human rights. (mds)