Indonesian diplomacy traverses a rocky road

By Medyatama Suryodiningrat

JAKARTA (JP): Nineteen ninety-seven will go down as a "testy" year in Indonesian diplomacy because events rocked the foundations and sound relations which had been so carefully built.

Commitment to the principle of noninterference -- a fundamental tenet for Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- was put to the test when the West, almost in unison, condemned the admission of Myanmar into the regional grouping.

Despite strong criticism from almost all Western capitals, ASEAN risked its reputation and prestige for the sake of realizing the dream of a united Southeast Asia.

Even before ASEAN officially admitted Myanmar in July, the nation's impending admission was already creating waves in ASEAN's relation with its dialog partners, namely the European Union.

During a ministerial dialog between the two organizations in Singapore in February, the signs were ominous.

The EU clearly indicated that it would not be willing to extend the same privileges and agreements it had accorded to the existing seven ASEAN members to include Myanmar.

A second generation ASEAN-EU cooperation agreement also failed to be drafted as a result.

Last month, an ASEAN-EU Joint Cooperation Council had to be canceled for the same reasons.

The issue threatened to jeopardize the second ASEM meeting between Asian and European leaders. Britain, as the host, said that it would not invite Myanmar. ASEAN -- backed by China, Korea and Japan -- said that Yangon had a right to be there.

Another pillar which was shaken and caused severe introspection among Indonesian foreign policy analysts was the recurrence of political turmoil in Cambodia which erupted just a fortnight before it was due to be admitted into ASEAN.

Indonesia played a key role in the cessation of the Cambodian conflict and again it is taking the lead role -- as part of ASEAN's troika -- in trying to facilitate a peaceful end to the crisis.

ASEAN, which has always remained steadfast in its policy of noninterference, was faced with the difficult dilemma of trying to resolve a political crisis without interfering.

Indonesia's foreign minister remains steadfast that ASEAN's efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis and delay Cambodia's entry into ASEAN should not be construed as interference or favoritism toward one side in the conflict.

Suggestions that ASEAN is now considering "constructive intervention", as noted by Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, have been rejected outright by Indonesia.

However, some believe that the events which have transpired this year are indicative of the fluid international environment and a sign of things to come.

International relations expert Kusnanto Anggoro said events this year have indicated a need for Indonesia to review the foreign policy values long held by both Jakarta and ASEAN.

He pointed to Indonesia's fundamental "free and active" foreign policy as one which may need to undergo some changes.

Kusnanto, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Indonesia may still be free to choose its foreign policy but it may not be so easy anymore to simply reject or disregard matters with which it does not agree.

He pointed to the recent bailout package from the International Monetary Fund, which he said demanded Jakarta to make several policy concessions.

Especially if Indonesia continues to lose its economic prowess and attractiveness, its bargaining power will decline and it will be harder to just brush off the concerns of others, he said.

U.S.

In what may have been one of the final demonstrations of nationalistic pride, Indonesia in May unilaterally canceled the planned purchase of nine United States F-16 jet fighters and declined to participate in the American-run International Military Education Training program (IMET) in response to growing congressional criticism.

A letter from President Soeharto to President Bill Clinton cited "wholly unjustified criticisms in the United States Congress against Indonesia which are linked to its participation in the IMET program and the planned purchase of the F-16 planes" as a factor that led to the decision.

While officials both claim that ties remain fundamentally strong, the affair somewhat jarred the sound ties established so far.

Ties were further aggravated by the fact that the U.S. issued an unflattering assessment of Indonesia's general election.

One of the many issues which continue to plague Indonesia in the international scene is the question of East Timor.

The rising awareness toward the issue has created a situation where it is a norm rather than an exception that when a high- profile, high-ranking Indonesian official goes abroad, protests concerning East Timor will ensue.

Unfortunately, two official talks and the intra-East Timor dialog have failed to produce anything substantive in seeking an internationally acceptable solution.

Even Indonesia's Ali Alatas admitted in October that "not much progress" had been achieved in two rounds of tripartite talks on East Timor.

The main highlight of 1997 should have been the celebrations commemorating ASEAN's 30th anniversary.

What started as a humble grouping of five states, once described as a likely "graveyard of good intentions", has emerged as a highly respected nine-member grouping.

The real impact of ASEAN is that it has created a strong environment for cooperation and mutual respect, thus serving as a mechanism for conflict prevention.

As a founding father of Indonesia and having played such a large role in the maturation of ASEAN, it was regrettable that President Soeharto -- as the only surviving leader involved in ASEAN's formation -- could not attend ASEAN's commemorative summit earlier this month due to doctors' orders that he rest.

But it is ASEAN's values of noninterference and nonintervention, which have served Indonesia so well, that will be questioned in the coming year. (mds)