RI and Australia to sign maritime agreement
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia and Australia are to sign a maritime agreement Friday delineating the continental shelf and their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in three areas.
The agreement will be signed by Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas and his counterpart Alexander Downer in Perth, Western Australia. Also present at the ceremony will be West Australia Premier Richard Court.
The agreement sets out the continental shelf and EEZ between Java and Australia's Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.
It also defines the EEZ in the Arafura and Timor seas.
This is the fourth agreement between Indonesia and Australia which defining maritime boundaries between the two neighboring states.
The first was signed in 1971 and defined the continental shelf in the Arafura sea; the second, signed a year later, was on the continental shelf in the western part of the Timor sea, the third was the controversial agreement on the Timor Gap signed in 1989.
Antara quoted the Indonesian foreign ministry's director of foreign information Gaffar Fadyl yesterday as saying that while in Perth, the two foreign ministers would also hold talks on further enhancing bilateral cooperation.
Grouping
Yesterday Alatas briefed journalists on his recent visit to Mauritius to attend the launching of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation.
The grouping comprises Australia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Yemen.
Its aim is to promote economic development and cooperation among countries with Indian Ocean coastlines.
According to Alatas, Indonesia's participation in this association falls directly in line with its national interest of ensuring a stable and peaceful regional climate conducive to development.
"We have succeeded in doing it in Southeast and East Asia, and now we're looking west to ensure that there is a stable environment there," Alatas said.
"As our experience in ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) shows, stability and security is often generated and supported by mutual economic growth among countries in a region," he added.
Alatas explained that the first meeting dealt mainly with technical and organizational matters such as the formation of a small secretariat and a working group to formulate criteria for membership.
Among the countries wishing to join the grouping are Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran and Thailand.
The meeting, held from March 5 through March 7, also set out the framework for cooperation projects to include trade, investment and tourism. The group also agreed to convene its next meeting in Mozambique in 1999.
"We still have a long road ahead ... but from an economic standpoint the grouping has a promising future because of its large economic potential," Alatas said.
Alatas was speaking after inaugurating Abdul Ghani as the ministry's director general for social, cultural and information affairs, replacing Jauhari Nataatmaja who is becoming Indonesian Ambassador to Seoul. (oby/mds)