House ratifies SE Asia nuclear weapon treaty

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia ratified yesterday the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty, thus becoming the decisive seventh country needed for the treaty's implementation.

The final procedures went smoothly as all four factions of the House of Representatives endorsed the agreement.

The House, pushed by the government, had raced to pass the treaty to ensure Indonesia was one of the first seven countries to ratify it. Marathon sessions have been held since mid-January to deliberate the proposed legislation.

The leaders of the 10 southeast Asia nations signed the nuclear weapons free zone treaty in December 1995. In doing so they agreed not to use, produce or stockpile these weapons of mass destruction.

Prior to yesterday only Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam had ratified the treaty.

Seven countries are needed to ratify the treaty before it can come into effect.

The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, as signatories, are expected to ratify it soon.

Attending yesterday's plenary session, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas appeared satisfied at the final outcome and called it a "proud" result.

"We believe that our decade-long struggle to ratify the bill shows Indonesia's willingness to create a secure southeast Asian region," Alatas said, underlining such an environment as essential to the nation's development.

He said Indonesia's ratification would hopefully spur the others signatories into doing the same.

Alatas added that it was now up to the five nuclear-weapons countries -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- to sign the treaty's protocol.

Washington has strongly resisted signing the protocol as it currently stands, because of objections to several paragraphs in the text.

Alatas said that negotiations were underway with the nuclear countries to clarify these objections.

Golkar faction member Didiet Haryadi Priyohutomo said yesterday the treaty would now be sent to Thailand, as the deposit country, so it could immediately take effect as a regional treaty banning nuclear weapons in southeast Asia.

Indonesian Democratic Party member Marcel Beding called for concrete measures in the treaty's implementation. He underlined the importance of ongoing consultations with the nuclear powers.

Marcel, along with Zumarnis Zein of the Armed Forces faction, stressed the importance of disseminating the treaty so it would not become a mere "museum artifact".

Alatas reported news of the ratification immediately to President Soeharto at Merdeka Palace.

Alatas said he had explained to the President the decisive role played by Indonesia in being the seventh country to ratify the treaty.

Speaking to journalists after his meeting with Soeharto, Alatas also said that he had briefed the President on his departure today to Australia to sign a maritime boundary treaty.

"This agreement is of historical significance because it signifies the end of a long process to determine the maritime boundaries between the two countries which have gone on for the last 25 years."

Alatas and his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer, will sign the maritime agreement in Perth tomorrow.

"It will have a positive impact in fostering closer ties in all fields of cooperation," Alatas added. (01/mds)