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.