New NAM membership leads to lengthy debates

By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat

CARTAGENA DE INDIAS, Colombia (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said that the admission of new members to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) had "stalled".

Alatas was explaining to journalists the lengthy debates among states participating in the ongoing XI NAM Summit here regarding the applications of several countries to the Movement. The issue reached an impasse in a consultative meeting between heads of state on Thursday.

There have been questions about whether the Movement should "review the procedures (used) to admit guests, observers or new members," Alatas said.

He pointed out that NAM members currently decide to accept applications for new memberships, as well as guests and observers, on the basis of consensus.

He recounted how Honduras and Venezuela had their memberships delayed for a long time due to objections from one country and how Russia's application for guest status was stalled for some time as a result of North Korea's opposition.

Several African countries have objected to the application of Bosnia-Herzegovina on the grounds that the membership of the former Yugoslavia has to be revoked before it can be admitted.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia, a staunch supporter of the Bosnian cause, questioned the African states' stance on the issue. "There is no particular reason why (Bosnia) should not be admitted," he said.

Several states have also opposed a Costa Rica membership, citing the Central American country's 1992 decision to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In addition, North Korea objects to Japan's request for guest status in the movement.

Earlier this week NAM admitted Turkmenistan as its newest member.

With the Summit nearing its closing day yesterday, Mahathir remained hopeful that a breakthrough on the issue would be achieved. "There's still a few hours left," he remarked.

The consultative meeting was attended by, among others, Indonesia's President Soeharto, Colombian President Ernesto Samper Pizano, Mahathir Mohamad, Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mousa and Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati.

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Jose Ayala Lasso urged the 113-nation Non-Aligned Movement to lead in the promotion and protection of human rights.

"A new era for human rights action should be inaugurated based on the larger participation of members of the Movement," he said. "The Movement should nurture within it a culture of human rights."

Lasso explained that NAM member states should begin the campaign by devising a mechanism to discuss and articulate human rights issues within the Movement. One of the basic steps should be the strengthening of national human rights institutions, he said.

Lasso also urged NAM members to ratify international human rights convention and follow them up with action.

"Practical means might be devised to implement the enjoyment of human rights, thus transforming good intentions into good deeds," he said. "It is imperative to move from the abstract to the tangible, to translate the norms and principals into concrete realities."

Hopefully, he said, "the next century will find humankind better equipped to prevent and correct the numerous abuses which today continue to threaten the dignity and well-being of individuals around the globe."

Lasso further noted the negative effects of debt burdens on development and human rights. He lamented that while developing countries were saddled with such burdens, massive amounts of funds were being allocated for military spending.

President Fidel Castro of Cuba made similar comments on the issue and called for a more noble use for resources currently committed to arms purchases.

"The United States Congress approves higher military budgets than requested by the government. What are those weapons for?" he asked.

The Summit was scheduled to close on Friday morning with the adoption of a final document expressing NAM's views and concerns on wide range of international issues such as the restructuring of the UN, drug trafficking, Third World debt, environmental preservation and nuclear disarmament.

However, several prominent leaders will not be present at the ceremony due to their early departures to attend to domestic matters.