House set to ratify nuclear treaty

House set to ratify nuclear treaty

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives is ready to ratify
a bill that would help turn Southeast Asia into a nuclear
weapons-free zone.

In a plenary meeting held to deliberate the bill on the Treaty
on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone, attended by
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas yesterday, the four
factions agreed to endorse the document next week.

"The factions' cooperation and responsibility to ratify the
treaty benefits Indonesia's efforts to strengthen peace and
stability, both at home and regionally," Alatas said.

He said the move would influence Indonesia's foreign policy in
the international arena.

Indonesia has been leading negotiations to draft the treaty
with the nine other southeast Asian countries, a process that has
taken more than a decade and earned the country a special place
of honor, according to a statement by the United Development
Party faction.

The leaders of ten southeast Asian countries gathered in
Bangkok in December 1995 to sign a nuclear weapons-free zone
treaty.

So far, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam
have ratified the treaty.

The four other signatories -- Indonesia, the Philippines,
Singapore and Thailand -- have yet to do so. The treaty requires
the ratification of seven signatories before it comes into
effect.

Armed Forces faction legislators had, in an earlier session,
described the creation of a nuclear weapons-free zone as a
fundamental national interest. They also said the treaty was
necessary to ensure continued regional stability.

The faction argued that as a developing country, Indonesia
needed a stable and peaceful environment both at home and
regionally.

The dominant Golkar faction had said the establishment of a
nuclear weapons-free zone was an important step toward the
establishment of closer regional cooperation.

The faction, however, had been concerned that none of the
nuclear countries -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the
United States -- had signed on to the protocol to the treaty.

The United States has raised objections over several points in
the treaty. Officials from the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations are currently working with their U.S. counterparts to
make minor amendments to make the treaty acceptable to the
nuclear powers. (01)