Indonesia and Vanuatu establish relations

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia established diplomatic ties yesterday with Vanuatu, a tiny South Pacific country which was once critical of Jakarta, particularly in relation to Irian Jaya.

The atmosphere yesterday was cordial as Prime Minister Maxime Carlot Korman held talks with President Soeharto and signed a joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic ties with Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas.

In his speech after the signing ceremony, Alatas said the establishment of diplomatic ties was expected to further enhance relations, not only between the two countries, but also between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Indonesia is a member, and the South Pacific Forum.

Alatas stressed the need for the two countries to engage in various development cooperation programs in the spirit of South- South cooperation. "Experience has shown that when developing countries help each other by sharing resources and their unique insights into common problems and concerns of development, they do gain a better chance of succeeding in their respective development endeavors," he said.

Vanuatu, with a predominantly Melanesian population of 175,000, is a former Anglo-French colony which gained its independence in 1980.

While there was no mention by officials of the issue of Irian Jaya being raised, the question of East Timor was discussed during Prime Minister Korman's meeting with President Soeharto.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, briefing reporters about the talks, said that Vanuatu regarded the East Timor issue as an internal Indonesian affair.

The Vanuatu position was stated after Soeharto gave an account of the history of the integration of East Timor into Indonesia in 1976, Moerdiono said.

The two leaders also discussed the possibilities for bilateral trade and economic cooperation, according to the minister, who added that the Vanuatu prime minister had also expressed interest in Indonesia's management of its huge oil industry.

Later last night, Soeharto hosted a dinner in honor of his guest.

In his speech, the President commended highly Vanuatu's holding fast to its policy of rejecting the presence of nuclear weapons in the Pacific area.

Korman arrived here on Sunday for a three-day visit.

This morning he is due to fly to Bandung, West Java, to visit the historic Asia-Africa Museum and the aircraft manufacturing plant of IPTN, the state-owned aircraft company. Later in the evening, he will leave Jakarta for Sydney. (emb)