Indonesia still uncommitted over arms for Bosnia
Indonesia still uncommitted over arms for Bosnia
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia remains uncommitted to sending arms to
Bosnia, however, the country has confirmed its strong support of
a declaration by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)
which dismisses the validity of a United Nations arms embargo
against the Bosnian government.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said yesterday that
Indonesia, as a member of the OIC, supports the view that if the
UN refuses to extend effective assistance to Bosnia-Herzegovina,
then the beleaguered Bosnian people should be given the right to
defend themselves.
Despite expressing strong support for the declaration, Alatas
did not elaborate on the type of assistance Indonesia might
provide, raising doubts that Indonesia would supply arms to the
Bosnian fighters.
"We must carefully examine our own condition before sending
arms," he told journalists.
"We are not an arms exporter," Alatas remarked when queried on
Jakarta's readiness to send arms. Nevertheless, Alatas made it
clear that Indonesia would not object should a fellow OIC member
begin arms shipments.
After meeting on Friday, he eight-country OIC "contact group"
on Bosnia declared "invalid" the UN resolution which bars the
sale of arms to Bosnia.
The declaration also called on all members of the UN to
provide "means of self-defense" to the government of Bosnia-
Herzegovina.
In the past, Indonesian citizens have donated financial
assistance while non-governmental organizations have formed
volunteer forces ready to fight in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The government, however, has provided little material
assistance to Bosnia and has focussed most of its efforts on a
search for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
President Soeharto, during a brief visit to Zagreb and
Sarajevo in March, proposed a comprehensive two-fold diplomatic
approach which would culminate in an international peace
conference.
On Monday, Soeharto dispatched senior diplomat Nana Sutresna
to meet with the warring factions in Bosnia; it is the latest
attempt to halt the rapidly deteriorating situation.
Separately, the chairman of the World Islamic League Muhammad
Ali called for an international rejection of the embargo.
"Not only Moslem countries, but all countries that love peace
and humanity, should reject this illegal and inhuman resolution,"
he said after meeting with Indonesia's President Soeharto
yesterday.
International relations expert Juwono Sudarsono welcomed the
OIC declaration but added that their action has come far too
late.
He argued that the OIC should have taken steps to break the
arms blockade at a much earlier date.
When asked about the ethics of breaking the embargo, Juwono
said "the UN itself has already broken its own principle of
humanity by rejecting the Moslem-Bosnian people their right to
defend themselves." (mds)