Indonesia circumspect about Olympics commitment

Indonesia circumspect about Olympics commitment

JAKARTA (JP): Officials are taking a wait-and-see view of
deteriorating diplomatic relations with Australia before
committing to sending a contingent to the 2000 Olympic Games in
Sydney.

State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Agung Laksono and
National Sports Council (KONI) chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar said
Indonesian athletes should not be affected by the political
tension over the issue of East Timor and must continue training
for the Olympics.

They stressed that training programs were continuing because
there was sufficient time to repair tattered ties before the
Games open in September next year.

Anti-Australian sentiment has surged since the Indonesian
government agreed to accept foreign peacekeepers to quell the
violence in East Timor. Some Indonesians believe Canberra, which
has been particularly critical of Jakarta's actions in East
Timor, has meddled in Indonesian affairs.

Some East Timorese and segments of Indonesian society have
also accused Australia of backing proindependence factions,
resulting in an overwhelming rejection of Indonesia's offer of
autonomy in the Aug. 30 vote.

Agung expressed hope that Australia would take a more
congenial attitude toward Indonesia.

"We hope host Australia will be more sympathetic to all
participating countries, specially to its neighbor Indonesia."

Agung said that should there be further deteriorating in
bilateral relations between Indonesia and Australian, sports
officials would have to consider the possibility of skipping the
Games.

"We are expecting improvements. If the relationship worsens,
we should consider not sending our athletes to Australia. But we
don't know yet. We hope we can continue participating in the
event. We hope in the future, the political relationship will get
better."

He dismissed the possibility of announcing an outright
"boycott" of the Olympics.

"We should also appreciate the Indonesian feeling toward our
participation in the Olympics, as the athletes represent the
Indonesian people."

Wismoyo hoped that both countries could use sport to mend the
relationship.

"I think sport can boost friendship among both country," he
said.

He said that Indonesia should not isolate itself by
withdrawing from the Games.

"It's important for us not to separate ourselves from the
world community. We should follow its rules and regulations."

However, if relations completely broke down, he said he would
withdraw the country's participation.

"Let's wait for developments. If the situation does not
benefit us, we can't push on," he said. (ivy)