RI initiative on Bosnia gains more support

RI initiative on Bosnia gains more support

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's initiative for a
comprehensive solution to end the war in former Yugoslavia has
gained the support of virtually all the conflicting parties,
according to a senior Indonesian diplomat.

Soeharto, in his capacity as chairman of the Non-Aligned
Movement, broached to the leaders of Croatia and Bosnia
Herzegovina with his plan during his visits to Zagreb and
Sarajevo last month. Both states welcomed the plan.

Following that, Soeharto sent Nana Sutresna, the chief
executive assistant to the NAM chairman, to discuss the plan with
leaders in the other former Yugoslavia republics: Serbia and
Montenegro, Slovenia and Macedonia.

Nana, who recently visited the capitals of these three states,
told reporters that the reception to the plan was positive, the
Antara news agency reported yesterday.

Nana had joined President Soeharto in Almaty, capital of
Kazakhstan, where the Indonesian leader was making a state visit
to push for increasing economic cooperation.

Soeharto's initiative call for a two-step peace process -- the
first one involving solely the warring factions in the former
Yugoslavia, and the second bringing in the big powers,
neighboring countries and other interested parties. The ultimate
objective is the creation of a confederation involving the former
republics of Yugoslavia, a founding member of NAM.

Indonesia has stated that it has no plan to act as
intermediary. Rather its position is limited to act as a
"facilitator" and that the conferences it is proposing could be
held in any country, including Indonesia, if the warring parties
want to.

Nana, whose recent Bosnian peace diplomacy includes visiting
Moscow, said the peace initiative was also welcomed by Russia.

Although the warring parties endorsed Indonesia's proposal,
they said they needed time to study the situation thoroughly so
it could be performed realistically, Nana said.

"What moved them most was the fact that Soeharto's initiative
comes at a time when there seems to be no progress at ending the
conflict," Nana said.

Achievements

He pointed out that leaders in the states he visited were all
well aware of Indonesia's achievements in solving regional
disputes, including in Cambodia, in the South China Sea and in
southern Philippines.

Nana said the next move for Indonesia would be to convince the
so-called Contact Group of five countries -- Germany, France,
Britain, the United States and Russia -- which have been at the
forefront in the search for peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina and
Croatia.

Nana said Indonesia has already communicated the idea to the
group verbally and will soon send a written proposal.

Meanwhile, AFP yesterday reported that President Soeharto flew
to Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, from Almaty for the second
leg of his current Central Asian tour. The third will be
Turkmenistan on Monday.

During his two-day visit in Tashkent, Soeharto will meet Uzbek
President Islam Karimov to discuss building relations between the
two Moslem countries.

Two agreements -- on developing relations between Uzbekistan
and Indonesia, and on establishing air links between the capitals
Tashkent and Jakarta by the end of April -- will be signed,
according to the Indonesian embassy in Tashkent.

Soeharto, who was also accompanied by a group of 26 Indonesian
business executives, was also to tour the central Asian state's
famed historic sites at Samarkand and Bukara. (pwn/emb)