New EU envoy admires RI democracy

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Not all diplomats are peace negotiators, but all peace negotiators are diplomats.

New Ambassador/Head of Delegation of the European Commission (EC) to Indonesia Jean Breteche -- who submitted his credentials to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on March 16, 2005 -- is both a career diplomat and peace negotiator.

Before coming to Indonesia, Breteche was head of the Representation of the EC to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Thanks to his position as a representative of the world's powerful regional organization -- the EU -- in the most volatile area of the Middle East, the 63-year-old French national had an opportunity to demonstrate his negotiating skills and vast experience in Muslim countries.

Though it was a Herculean task to break the logjam between the two bitter foes, Breteche tried his best to prepare the ground for the ongoing peace parleys between the Palestinians and Israelis.

"I was very closely associated with preparations for the current peace negotiations. I hope they will succeed," Breteche, who studied economics, agronomy, social sciences and commerce in France and the U.S., told The Jakarta Post in an interview at his office.

The Palestinians, according to Breteche, have the right to a state. They also have the right to peace.

This mediating role paid him big dividends. He was transferred from a troubled small state to much larger Indonesia, a democratic country with the world's largest Muslim population, in February 2005.

Given his 35 years of experience in at least nine countries -- Tunisia, Somalia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Egypt, Syria, and India and Palestine -- in three continents, it should not be a problem for Breteche to work as an ambassador in a country like Indonesia.

Breteche, by any assessment, is a super diplomat. His task is to represent 25 countries not only in Indonesia but also in Brunei Darussalam and East Timor, simultaneously. In Brunei and East Timor, Breteche -- who joined the EC in April 1970, is a nonresident ambassador.

He began his career at the EC's Directorate for Development in Brussels, where the headquarters of both the EU and the EC are located, and later moved to the office of the Director General for External Affairs.

The EC is the executive arm of the European Union (EU).

"When I joined the EC in April 1970, it was not as large as it is now. But in more than three decades it has grown into a giant. Currently, we have 128 missions across the globe," said Breteche, who is married with three children.

"Indonesia is not new to me. I visited Bali 10 years ago. I spent two weeks there. Bali was beautiful but it didn't give me a view of the real Indonesia and its society. I am very glad to have come back," he added

Breteche is full of admiration for Indonesia because, he says, it is the world's largest moderate Muslim-majority state and also one of the largest democracies in the world.

"It's very interesting to note that Islam and democracy are compatible. The other day, I asked Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda: Why don't you draw some lessons for the Muslim countries in the Middle East?

"It will be my ambition to bring scholars from both regions (Asian and African) to a meeting and show to them that Islam, as well as democracy, are working very well in Indonesia. Why can't Arab countries adopt the Indonesian model?" Breteche added.

When asked about how he joined the EC, Breteche said he was attracted to the idea of one Europe in the 1970s.

"During World War II, France and Germany were fighting and killing each other. People like Schuman (President Robert Schuman) raised the question: Are we going to fight? Are we going to work together? I was attracted by the debate on the unity of Europe. After finishing my studies, I decided to join the EC in 1970," Breteche, who speaks fluent French, English, Italian and some Arabic, said.

He wants to learn Bahasa Indonesia but has encountered some difficulties in learning it.

"First, I'm very busy. Second, whenever I start speaking in Indonesian people start talking in English. This is a disadvantage for me. Anyhow, I will learn Indonesian during my stay in Jakarta," Breteche said.

Breteche enjoys reading and traveling as well as golf.

"Playing golf has given me a lot of pleasure. I have to continue my golf,' Breteche said without giving any hint as to how he would find the time for his favorite pastime.

Breteche has been in his new post barely two months, but already there are signs that bilateral relations between the EU and the archipelagic state are moving forward well.

One the first day, he was seen attending a meeting between the Joint Commission of the EU and ASEAN. For the following couple of weeks he was busy with a visit of his boss Benita Ferrero- Waldner, the EU's commissioner for external relations, to Indonesia.

He accompanied Ferrero-Waldner and her entourage to tsunami- affected Aceh.

Now, Breteche is attempting to negotiate a special agreement to strengthen existing relations with Indonesia.

"My main mission here is to upgrade bilateral relations in all fields and make the EU more visible within Indonesia," Breteche said.