RI ambivalent on calls by U.S. nuke ships

RI ambivalent on calls by U.S. nuke ships

By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat

BANGKOK (JP): Indonesia remains ambivalent on whether it will allow the United States' nuclear armada to make port calls to Indonesian docks, saying that such a request will have to be studied when the time comes.

"We'll see how things are later on in reality and under what conditions the request for nuclear ships or American ships to come are made," Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said yesterday.

The heads of government of ASEAN -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- are scheduled to sign the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ) treaty on Friday along with the leaders of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Alatas, who is in the Thai capital to attend the ASEAN ministerial meeting, said that the U.S. has a policy of neither confirming nor denying whether its ships carry nuclear arms when asked by a host country.

"They won't reveal that information. So it is difficult for the host country to know whether they are carrying nuclear weapons or not," he said.

The U.S. has expressed its objection to SEANWFZ on the grounds that the treaty is too restrictive.

ASEAN states have rebuffed Washington's grievances and asserted their intention to go ahead with Friday's signing.

Formed in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold its fifth Summit here on Friday. It is being preceded by a two-day ministerial meeting which began here yesterday.

Ten years in the making, SEANWFZ confirms ASEAN's commitment not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons.

ASEAN argues that the treaty does not inhibit the right of innocent passage and allows port calls based on each country's consent.

However Alatas explained that after great debate ASEAN agreed that each signatory has the right to accept or reject port calls by ships carrying nuclear weapons.

"Don't forget that ASEAN, despite being very close economically, still have political nuances in foreign policy," he said, adding that "there are a few countries amongst us which have special relations with the United States."

Another debate on the issue of the nuclear weapons free zone is whether ASEAN would also attempt to restrict the access of nuclear weapon ships in ASEAN's territorial waters.

According to the minister, there were various opinions on this matter with some saying that it should be completely closed to such ships.

Being realistic Alatas said it would be very difficult to enforce such an idea.

He explained that even if Indonesia wanted to ban the entrance of nuclear weapons carrying ships into its waters it would be almost impossible to do it especially if an armada from a major power wanted to pass.

"Do we dare to stop them ? Do we have the ability to face a superpower?" he remarked adding that to make such a ambitious declaration without any enforcement would mean "just blowing a lot of hot air."

Given such a situation and the varying opinions of ASEAN members themselves, the best way to deal with this issue would be to leave such decisions for the different states to decide for themselves.