RI insists talks on Bali Commitment end here

Tue, 04 Jun 2002, 00:00 WIB

Berni K. Moestafa
The Jakarta Post
Nusa Dua, Bali

Indonesia has demanded that delegates conclude within this week
talks on the Bali Commitment, which promises more international
aid to alleviate poverty and preserve nature, as a near deadlock
has triggered calls for negotiations to proceed at the upcoming
Johannesburg summit in South Africa.

Head of the Indonesian delegation Makarim Wibisono said on
Monday that Indonesia, as host of the UN meeting on sustainable
development, must get delegates to agree on the final text of the
Bali Commitment.

The Bali Commitment, or the Chairman's Text, is expected to
set priorities for the global economy over the next 10 years.
World leaders will ratify the action plan at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg next August
through September.

But disagreements on the levels of commitment, and delegates
refusing to make political trade-offs, have left negotiations at
a near standstill.

Asked whether taking the negotiations to the upcoming
Johannesburg summit was an option, Makarim answered no.

"The procedure is based on the UN resolution and that requires
us to finalize talks on the action plan here," he said at a media
meeting.

"In negotiations the point is how to reach a deal or a
compromise. You might continue for another 200 years, but without
the political will to come to a deal that will not happen."

Talks on the action plan of the Bali Commitment have entered
their second week after missing two deadlines last Friday and
Saturday. A third deadline was set for Monday night but was
canceled later in the day.

UN press official Pragati J. Pascale said that Monday night
discussions on the draft revision of the Chairman's Text would be
held in groups.

The results, she said, were to be reported on Tuesday morning,
after which chairman Emil would draft a new Chairman's Text. The
text would be presented for final discussion at the plenary
meeting, slated also on Tuesday, one day before the ministerial
meeting.

Makarim said Indonesia would have to compromise its position
during the negotiations if it wanted to finalize the Bali
Commitment here.

He added that compromises could not come at the expense of
national interests, if they meant accepting a lesser gain than
demanded.

Another Indonesian delegate, who requested anonymity,
described this as "aiming for five, asking for 10 and getting
seven."

The delegate said that paragraphs in the negotiated text
facing opposition included, among other things, calls for
increased aid, time-bound measures and good governance.

Makarim has said that preserving the text as originally
submitted by the meeting's chairman, Emil Salim, was in the
interests of Indonesia.

When negotiations started on Monday last week, the Chairman's
Text contained 100 points and was 39 pages thick. As of last
Sunday, the text grew to 78 pages, with 158 points.

According to the Indonesian delegate, the inclusion of
additional points into the text was a negotiating tactic.

"They (the delegates) add these new demands so that they can
exchange them for others once the deal-making process starts," he
explained.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also called on delegates
not to force a deal in Bali if it meant caving in to pressure
from developed countries.

The Indonesian People's Forum urged delegates to use the three
months until Johannesburg to work on a better text.

Hira Jhamtani of KONPHALINDO, a Jakarta-based environmental
NGO, said there was still hope for a strong Chairman's Text,
providing developed countries could show their commitment to
sustainable development at Bali.

"It is not too late to do so. Such commitments can be forged
even within this week," Hira said. Editorial on Page 6