RI instability worries Japan: Official

RI instability worries Japan: Official

SINGAPORE (AFP): Japanese concerns over instability in Indonesia drew a mute response on Wednesday at the start of an ASEAN summit where the 10-nation alliance has a rigid policy of non-interference.

Indonesia is the largest member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and an implosion there would destabilize the entire region, a senior Japanese foreign ministry official warned.

"Territorial integrity of Indonesia is important because it is vital for the stability of the entire Asia," a Japanese senior official said during an ASEAN-Japan dialog at the start of the four-day ASEAN gathering.

Other delegates were silent when Japan raised its concerned, another official said, adding that "it's a sensitive issue."

Hassan Wirayuda, Indonesia's foreign ministry director general for political affairs, said he welcomed the recognition by neighboring countries that the stability and prosperity of Indonesia "is key to the region's stability and prosperity."

"Japan's concern is pertinent and relevant. We welcome it," he told reporters after the dialog.

One of ASEAN's fundamental principles is non-interference in the internal affairs, and Wirayuda also cited support for the "territorial integrity and political unity" of Indonesia expressed during an Asian security forum in Thailand in July.

"This widening and growing support on the part of neighboring countries is encouraging," he said.

Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, whose grip on power has come under challenge amid rising separatist calls, was expected to brief fellow leaders on Indonesia's efforts to resolve its internal problems through dialog and reconciliation, Wirayuda said.

Leaders of ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, will hold a summit on Friday and Saturday.

They will also meet with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung under the ASEAN plus three dialog process.

The Japanese official expressed fears that instability in Indonesia could disrupt its oil tanker shipments from the Middle East which ply through the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia.

"The bulk of Japanese oil imports passes through the Malacca Strait," he said.

Demands for independence in the provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya and religious tensions in the Maluku islands threaten to tear apart Indonesia.

The Japanese official said Mori would emphasize Japan's political will and economic commitment to ensure the integrity of Indonesia when the leaders meet.

"Japan has done its best to support Indonesia. We will continue to support the reforms," he said.

Developments on the Korean peninsula would also be at the forefront of the leaders' meeting.

"Japan welcomes the meeting by leaders from North and South Korea," he said, referring to the June summit between Kim Dae- Jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, which resulted in an agreement to move toward peace and reconciliation.

The official said Japan expects "frank exchanges" at the ASEAN-plus-three summit which Tokyo considers "firmly established" since it was first held in Malaysia two years ago.

"There is not much opposition from the United States," he said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has pushed for the formation of an East Asian Economic Caucus (EAEC) -- a lose trade grouping of ASEAN countries along with China, Japan and Korea, to which the US has expressed tacit opposition.

Tokyo would also express its opposition to international pressure mounted by the ILO on Myanmar over the use of forced labor, he said.

"There have been positive developments in Myanmar," he said but did not elaborate.