Memo does not involve South China Sea issue

Memo does not involve South China Sea issue

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian government said yesterday that
the memo it had sent to the Chinese government was on China's
recent declaration of its new sea baselines, which did not touch
on the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea.

"The memo we sent is about the drawing of baselines in the
northern part (of the South China Sea) and along the coast of the
Chinese mainland," Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas told
journalists yesterday.

Alatas said that one should not mix the Indonesian aide
memoire (memo) with South China Sea issues as had been wrongly
reported by some news media. The memo was sent earlier this
month.

Alatas made his comments at the end of a joint news conference
involving foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) and their dialog partners from Western countries
and Asian powers. The news conference was held after the
conclusion of their annual meeting yesterday.

Four of the seven member countries of ASEAN -- Brunei,
Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam -- have all claimed the
Spratlys wholly or in part.

The disputes over the island groups, believed to be rich in
oil and mineral deposits, are often viewed as a potential threat
to regional security and stability.

On Wednesday, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Abdullah Badawi,
who represented ASEAN in a dialog with China, said he had also
questioned his Chinese counterpart, Qian Qichen, on the issue.

"China's declaration of May 15, 1996, on its baselines have
raised some questions in ASEAN. We hope to receive some
clarification from China on this declaration and what it means,"
Badawi said in a statement.

China's foreign ministry spokesman, Shen Guofang, told The
Jakarta Post yesterday that the baselines were drawn within
Chinese sea territory according to the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea.

"Foreign Minister Qian had also informed his counterparts
during bilateral meetings with ASEAN members," Shen said, adding
that it was within China's sovereignty to delineate the baselines
of its territorial waters.

He said that China had announced only part of its territorial
waters due to technical and complicated factors in some areas
which concern some countries and the Chinese government. "We will
make further announcements after our experts have completed their
tasks," he said.

Alatas said that although no date had been set, China would be
willing to discuss its new baselines in a meeting of its experts
and experts from ASEAN countries. (ego)