G-15 summit to look at the year 2000 and beyond
G-15 summit to look at the year 2000 and beyond
By Meidyatama Soeryodiningrat
BUENOS AIRES (JP): Leaders of the Group of 15 (G-15)
developing countries will gather here on Monday for the start of
their fifth summit, to hammer out a declaration on international
economic cooperation for the year 2000 and beyond.
Argentine officials said that at least 10 of the 15 members
will be represented by their leaders, an improvement over the
last summit in New Delhi, in which only six leaders attended.
But this time President Soeharto will be one of the absentees.
The 73-year old Indonesian leader, considered to be one of the
most senior statesmen in the group, has attended all previous
four G-15 summits.
Indonesian embassy officials said the Indonesian delegation
will be led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Alatas. He
will be accompanied by President Soeharto's personal
representative to the G-15, Agus Tarmidzi, who is Indonesia's
ambassador to the permanent mission of the United Nations in
Geneva.
Officials in Jakarta said that a tight schedule has prevented
Soeharto from attending the summit here. He has just completed an
18-day overseas trip, which included the Non-Aligned Movement
summit in Cartagena, Colombia, the United Nations' 50th
anniversary commemorative assembly, short working visits to
Washington and Suriname, plus a minor pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi
Arabia. He also made a brief stopover in Abu Dhabi.
Later this month, the President is scheduled to attend the
leadership meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) forum in Osaka, Japan.
Indonesian and Argentine officials said that, as a forum for
consultation between countries of the southern hemisphere, the G-
15 leaders, or their representatives, are expected to highlight
the plight of the developing world, especially the global climate
which has hindered, rather than induced, development.
The group will put together a declaration of their views to
foster international economic cooperation, both North-South and
South-South, for the next century.
It will also review the 18 projects of cooperation that exist
between G-15 members.
Indonesia is coordinator of four of these projects, which
cover the food sector, population and family planning, external
debt and the promotion of self-propelling growth schemes.
Proposals such as the creation of an investment, trade and
technology council, which was put forward by India at last year's
summit, are also likely to materialize here next week.
In addition, delegates have indicated that leaders will
discuss terrorism and corruption, as proposed by India and
Venezuela respectively.
The G-15 was established in 1989, during the 9th Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) Summit in Belgrade, as the Summit Level Group on
South-South Cooperation and Consultation.
Its members represent the various regions of the developing
world: Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe for Africa;
India, Indonesia and Malaysia for Asia; Argentina, Brazil, Chile,
Jamaica, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela for Latin America; and the
Caribbean. Yugoslavia, one of the founding members, has been
replaced by Chile.
Idea
The idea was to create a consultative forum for leaders to
review and analyze the international situation, forge better
cooperation and try to create a dialog with the Group of Seven
(G-7) industrialized countries.
The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur in 1990 and
subsequent meetings have been hosted in Caracas, Dakar and New
Delhi.
At this summit, observers say, the G-15 must grapple with
internal matters such as new membership and maintaining high
attendance levels at future meetings.
Argentine officials have suggested expanding the membership,
but exactly who should be brought in is still a point of debate.
In the past, Iran has indicated a desire to join and there are
even hopes that China will become a member.
Although the summit focus is on the global political and
economic situation, the G-15 will also discuss how to forge
closer economic ties among its members.
Trade between developing countries is seen as a way of
solidifying and enhancing overall south-south cooperation.
Argentina's Undersecretary for International Economic
Negotiations, Alfredo Chiaradia, has stressed the importance of a
business exhibition that is to be held alongside the G-15 Summit,
as well as offshoot meetings.
He told journalists that Argentina hopes the G-15 will develop
into a group of "new tigers" in a changing world economy.
Over 300 entrepreneurs from G-15 member states are expected to
attend the business exhibition and seminar, which will be held at
the Palais de Glaces building, just two blocks from the site of
the summit.
The absence of President Soeharto appears to have stifled the
interest of the Indonesian business community. Only three
Indonesians have registered to attend the business forum, embassy
officials said.