Indonesian diplomacy traverses a rocky road

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)