Iraq lobbies for Indonesian support of end to sanctions

Iraq lobbies for Indonesian support of end to sanctions

JAKARTA (JP): A special envoy of President Saddam Hussein met
with Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas to ask for Indonesian
support for the cessation of U.N. imposed sanctions on Iraq.

"The envoy has brought a letter to President Soeharto in his
capacity as both the country's president and chairman of the Non-
Aligned Movement (NAM) from President Saddam Hussein concerning
the issue of U.N. sanctions still being imposed on Iraq," Alatas
told reporters after meeting with Iraqi envoy Mohammad Sa'id al-
Sahaf.

Alatas yesterday met with al-Sahaf yesterday at the foreign
ministry building after earlier meeting with a special envoy from
Cameroon President Paul Biya.

Al-Sahaf, who is also Iraq's foreign minister, is currently on
a diplomatic tour to garner support for the end of the sanctions.

He has met with Yemeni president Ali Abdullah in Sanaa and
acting Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar in Kuala
Lumpur before arriving here on Sunday.

Alatas said the letter to Soeharto called for Indonesia's
support for the end of sanctions since Iraq has satisfied the
demands of the U.N. resolution.

Among those terms cited was the fulfillment of Security
Council Resolution 867 on the destruction of chemical and nuclear
weapons as a result of the 1991 Gulf war.

"We believe Iraq has come a long way in complying with those
demands," Alatas said. "It has fulfilled the many Security
Council resolutions but still the economic sanctions continue."

When asked whether Indonesia would lend its support, Alatas
said he did not wish to precede Soeharto whom al-Sahaf will meet
today, but was confident that Indonesia would make inquiries.

We will definitely examine this matter carefully and see how
we can help resolve the problem, he said without elaborating.

Earlier in the day Alatas met with Cameroon's special envoy
Tsanga Abanda who has also met President Soeharto at the Merdeka
Palace.

According to Alatas, Abanda is here to request Indonesia's
assistance in resolving the territorial dispute between Cameroon
and Nigeria over Bhakhasii island.

"The issue of our border has become a crisis, we are in great
need of Indonesia's goodwill and assistance," said Abanda.

He explained that during his one-hour talk, Soeharto responded
by assigning the NAM chairman's chief executive assistant Nana
Sutresna and the NAM bureau in New York to tackle the crisis.

Hostages

Speaking on the five Indonesian military observers being held
hostage by Serbian forces, Alatas could only say that the
government was continuously monitoring the situation and
maintaining close contact with all parties involved.

Some 200 multinational peacekeepers under the United Nations
Protection Force (UNPROFOR) have been held hostage since Friday
by Serbian troops in retaliation for NATO air strikes to
alleviate Serbia's siege of Gorazde.

Despite the dire circumstances, Alatas still expressed his
confidence at the hasty return of the captured peacekeepers.

"I'm sure the United Nations will solve this problem soon," he
said.

When questioned on the effect of this latest episode on
Indonesia's decision to send a medical team to Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Alatas maintained there would be none.

"No, no effect...the situation there is very unpredictable and
this is a condition we have to be extremely wary of, but I don't
think it will change our decision to send a medical contingent,"
he said.(07)