International diplomacy

International diplomacy

Indonesia has been stung by the tiny state of Vanuatu. The country, made up of 83 islands, is situated right above Australia. Until 1980, it was managed by France and Britain and has a population of just 200,000.

Last Tuesday, Indonesia's top security minister, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, ordered the foreign affairs ministry to verify a report that the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) had set up a diplomatic office in Vanuatu on Aug. 17, when Indonesians were celebrating the country's 58th Independence Day.

If proven true, Yudhoyono said, the Indonesian government would strongly protest. Another Indonesian separatist group, the Free Papua Organization (OPM), has also reportedly opened a diplomatic office in Vanuatu.

According to Vanuatu's website, the state only has two foreign embassies, those of China and France. Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom only have high commissioners posted there.

Despite the fact that Vanuatu is a tiny country and is not politically or economically important, the opening of a GAM representative office there would be a major blow to Indonesia.

We cannot afford to neglect these small things. If we do not take this issue seriously, it could one day boomerang on Indonesia. -- Republika, Jakarta

;; ANPAk..r.. Othersop-missile Missile attacks against airliners JP/6/airline

Missile attacks against airliners

There are few things more terrible to contemplate than this: A solitary terrorist aiming and firing a missile at a fully loaded airliner landing at a major airport. Carnage, destruction, lost lives ... and the despairing thought that there is no end, no end in sight to the fear. Thoughts of that very possibility entered the minds of many Americans with the testimony of Hemant Lakhani. ...

The airline industry, however, is cautious about the $10 billion cost of anti-missile systems, such as would be required by the pending Commercial Airline Missile Defense Act.

In a recent statement, the Air Transport Association, a trade group, suggested careful study of the relatively untested technology for warding off missile attacks.

Prudent study is reasonable, but delay is not. Small planes have been attacked and brought down by shoulder-fired missiles, and sooner or later similar technology will likely endanger big planes too. It is a horror worth avoiding, and the administration and Congress need to make study of anti-missile systems a priority. -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

;; ANPAk..r.. Othersop-electricity The blackout JP/6/electricity

The blackout

The electricity blackout in the Northeast provides strong indication the world's greatest superpower is powered by an electrical system that needs serious attention. It might not be deserving of the "Third World" status given it by New Mexico's governor, but on the heels of the worst blackout in U.S. history, to view this power shut down as just an anomaly is equally irresponsible. ...

Unless the system is upgraded and standards assured, further blackouts - possibly even more widespread or longer in duration -are entirely likely if not predictable.

Yet there's not a lot of agreement in terms of what specifically must be done to achieve the objective of a more reliable electricity delivery system. Revamping the delivery system to accommodate today's demands for electricity, and to deliver that energy efficiently and reliably, will require considerable changes in infrastructure, management, regional coordination and-woe be to the consumer-potentially higher rates to pay for a project expected to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $56 billion. ...

Some people will see this level of investment as an overreaction to a rare occurrence. Those folks might think differently if they spent a little more time in the dark.

-- Texarkana Gazette, Texarkana, Arkansas