RI defends its call for KL timber ban

RI defends its call for KL timber ban

Agencies, Kuala Lumpur

Indonesia appealed on Thursday for Malaysia's help in combating the trade in illegal timber from its forests and defended its call for a ban on Malaysian lumber in Europe.

Speaking on the sidelines of a major UN conference on biodiversity here, Indonesia's Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim said the boycott call was "a last resort".

Fighting back against Malaysia's claims that Indonesia was not doing enough to curb illegal logging, he said Jakarta was making its best effort despite limited resources and administrative weaknesses.

Nabiel on Thursday also called for talks with his Malaysian counterpart in solving Indonesia's problem of illegal logging of endangered timber, and urged both parties to stop "finger- pointing".

"Illegal logging is still going on, at a larger scale than ever before," said Nabiel.

"Our efforts become difficult because as long as the demand is there, it is difficult to curb the supply side," he told reporters at the sidelines of a United Nations-backed Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

"If Malaysia becomes a transit for the logs, Malaysia should stop it," he told reporters.

"We ask our neighbors to help us because it's in the interest of Malaysia, too."

"It's our forests. Do you think we are sleeping? We do what we can do but it's not enough. The fight has become harder because the demand side is not responding," he said.

"That's why we would like to have Malaysia on our side, it will make our fight easier."

Nabiel said Indonesia's call for a ban on Malaysian timber was the only fair and effective way to curb the illegal lumber trade if talks failed, noting that there were also calls for a ban on Indonesian timber.

"We are in the same basket ... that's why we have to start discussions," he said.

"Let's stop finger-pointing at each other. We will benefit from working together."

An informal bilateral meeting will be held on March 15 in Jakarta to seek a solution to illegal logging and the trade of illegal timber, following up on a first meeting last month.

Nabiel said illegal logging was ravaging Indonesia's forests at an alarming rate and triggering floods and mudslides.

European Union environment commissioner Margot Wallstrom said the dispute between the two neighbors was "regrettable" and she was working with both parties to draw up a credible certification scheme to resolve the problem.

She rejected the call for a total ban on Malaysian timber but said the EU was considering plans to make it compulsory to obtain import permits to bring the endangered hardwood ramin into Europe.

"You cannot simply ban everything because there will be serious social and economic impacts but we are considering the listing of ramin in our regulations which would mean a need for import permits," she said.

Wallstrom urged Malaysia to link its timber certification scheme to other global verification schemes so that documents could not be easily falsified.

Last week, Malaysia slammed Jakarta for trying to undermine its wood exports and accused U.S. activists of tarnishing its image in a report alleging large-scale smuggling of illegal Indonesian timber.

The study, Profiting from Plunder, was compiled by the independent Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and its Indonesian partner Telapak, which said it was based on two years of investigation.

The EIA said it showed how ramin wood was smuggled from Indonesia into Malaysia and then re-exported with false documentation.

It alleged that local officials were facilitating the illegal trade and urged the United States to impose trade sanctions on Malaysia.