Indonesia seeks to revive spirit of multilateralism

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Durban, S. Africa

Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirayuda will attend the ongoing 14th Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Second Asian-African Sub Regional Organization Conference (AASROC) meeting later, both to be held in Durban, South Africa.

Indonesia sees there is a need to regain the spirit of multilateralism and continue the reforms of the United Nations.

"In Indonesia's view, the development of the global situation has shown a decline in multilateralism and international democracy, while unilateralism seems to have become more powerful. Moreover, military force is being used to settle conflict instead of peaceful approaches," the Foreign Ministry said in a media statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

It also said that the three-day meeting, which began on Tuesday, would focus on the challenges of multilateralism in the 21st century and assess recent developments in the international arena since the previous NAM meeting in Kuala Lumpur last year, when member states declared their commitment to the principle of international relations outlined in the UN Charter and in international law.

Hassan will also attend the AASROC meeting in Durban on Friday. The meeting will discuss the priorities for creating peace and prosperity in the two continents.

The AASROC meeting is part of preparations for the golden jubilee of the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung, West Java, next year, where member states are expected to declare a "New Asian- African Strategic Partnership" (NAASP).

This year's NAM Ministerial Meeting is being attended by more than 100 foreign ministers of members states, 32 guest representatives and 45 representatives from international organizations. South African President Thabo Mbeki is scheduled to open the one-day formal plenary session on Thursday.

The world's developing nations vowed on Wednesday to push debt relief for Africa, saying rich countries and lenders must boost efforts to pull the world's poorest continent out of its economic spiral, Reuters reported.

NAM, whose 115 members form one of the largest international groups apart from the UN, said it would urge more aid and investment for Africa as well as more African input into decisions on its economic affairs.

"The movement supports enhanced debt relief for Highly Indebted Poor Countries, but seeks quicker delivery of this debt relief," said one ambassador from the Caribbean.

"Debt relief and Western market access for African goods are key components and will be included in the official declaration of the ministers' meeting," the ambassador added.

African countries owe the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations hundreds of billions of dollars and say debt repayments are crippling them.

The G-8 has agreed to extend its Highly Indebted Poor Countries debt relief program through 2006, but poor countries say this is not enough to pull them out of poverty.

By taking up the issue of debt relief for Africa, NAM is staking out new diplomatic territory for itself. The group was formed in 1961 as a third way between the Cold War rivalry of Western and Communist blocs.

While some Asian members of the group have seen rapid economic growth, many of its 53 African member nations remain among the poorest countries in the world.

According to the Jubilee Debt Campaign, which lobbies for debt cancellation, poor countries around the world owe more than US$200 billion in loans taken in the 1960s and 1970s, funds which were often channeled into the private purses of corrupt leaders.

The NAM ministers' meeting is expected to reiterate support for the UN as the forum for agreeing global policy on the U.S.- led "war on terror".