Indonesia and NAM

Indonesia and NAM

What are the positive achievements of the three years of President Soeharto's leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)? First of all, by positioning the movement as partner in dialog, rather than as a force for confrontation, his leadership has given the movement credibility and authority. Particularly among the industrial countries of the West this approach is appreciated. To the Non-Aligned Movement itself, his leadership has given it the freedom and independence necessary to maneuver constructively.

Apart from imbuing in the nations of the world a spirit of dialog and partnership, Indonesia's leadership of NAM has also given concrete meaning to the concept of South-South cooperation. In the past three years, dialog and cooperation among the nations of the South acquired an increasingly solid pattern. This has been Indonesia's additional contribution to the Non-Aligned Movement: to lead NAM towards taking the next step, which is one of actions and deeds, one of concrete efforts.

-- Kompas, Jakarta