RI backs Boutros-Ghali's bid for second term

JAKARTA (JP): International relations expert Juwono Sudarsono said yesterday Washington is displaying its intention to dominate the U.N. by rejecting secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali's bid for a second term.

Juwono's comments come on the heels of a similar expression of support from Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, who said that Jakarta would support Boutros Ghali's candidacy.

"It seems that the mood now in the Security Council, particularly in America, is that the secretary-general should come from a developed country rather than from an African, Asian or Latin American one," Juwono told The Jakarta Post.

"They want to use the United Nations as their main vehicle for legitimizing their dominance," said Juwono, who is the professor of international relations at the University of Indonesia.

Washington has warned that it would use its exclusive veto power if Boutros Ghali is elected to serve a second five-year term.

Egyptian Boutros-Ghali took over the post as secretary-general in 1992. His tenure ends this year.

The United States has expressed dissatisfaction at Boutros Ghali's performance, pointing to his sluggish pace of streamlining the UN, along with failed policies in Bosnia and Somalia as evidence of his incompetence.

Even though Boutros Ghali has the support of most UN members, Washington can overrule this majority decision with its veto.

Alatas said that Indonesia, from the beginning, has supported Boutros Ghali's candidacy and would continue to do so.

"We supported Boutros Ghali when he first became a candidate. If he wishes to continue, we would not have the least problem in continuing to support him," Alatas told journalists at his office.

Alatas maintained that there were various factors contributing to the UN's past failures, and they cannot all be blamed on the secretary-general.

Separately, Juwono said yesterday that in the past, the position was perceived as a mere seat to accommodate the political symbolism of a Third World secretary-general catering to the interests of the South.

However, that has all changed, he said. With the demise of the Communist threat, the United States is more interested in its own objectives and less with the concerns and plight of the developing states.

"There is a sense of Darwinism now in America. They don't care," Juwono said, explaining that Washington would like to see a candidate who could fulfill their own aspirations.

In the prevailing political climate in America, someone like Boutros Ghali is not seen in a favorable light, he added. (mds)