RI, India agree to cooperate in terror battle

Syaiful Amin, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

The terrorism threat overshadowed the initial Joint Commission meeting here on Monday between Indonesia and India, which came to the conclusion that information exchanges between the two countries needed enhancing as part of the war on terror.

The two countries ended the meeting with a joint condemnation of the terrorist attacks that had been plaguing both countries recently.

"The meeting discussed the real threat of terrorism and jointly condemned all acts of terrorism such as the recent bombing in the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta and the bombing in Mumbai," the joint statement said.

Jakarta was rocked by a bomb attack on Aug. 5 that killed 12 people, while India was hit by a blast on Aug. 25 in Mumbai that claimed 52 lives.

"That's why we emphasized the importance of cooperation in the field of antiterrorism and agreed to enhance exchanges of information between the authorities," Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said in a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart Yashwant Sinha.

The Joint Commission serves as a forum for both countries to address common interests and discuss efforts to boost cooperation.

India has been intensifying its cooperation with the Southeast Asian countries following its acceptance as an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) dialog partner at the regional grouping's summit in Phnom Penh last year.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behaari Vajpayee visited Indonesia in January 2001, while Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri visited India in April last year.

In the joint statement, India also agreed to Indonesia's proposal to explore the possibility of providing training and capacity building on human rights matters.

Both countries also agreed to increase cooperation in the area of promotion and protection of human rights.

During the meeting, both governments also agreed to begin discussions on the delineation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEE) to determine the sea boundary between the two countries.

In the economic field, the two sides agreed to explore the possibility of forging cooperation between the central banks of both countries.

Banking cooperation was aimed at supporting the efforts to increase trade cooperation as well as facilitate two-way investment between the two countries.

To provide guidance for the economic cooperation between the two countries, the meeting agreed to set up an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) so as to sound out the possibilities for further expansion and diversification of bilateral trade.

"With the meeting, we have succeeded in establishing a strong basis for bilateral relations, and agreed to hold consultation meetings annually," Hassan said.

The second meeting of the commission next year will be hosted by India.

Minister Sinha is scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to President Megawati on Tuesday in Jakarta before flying home.