RI, Japan concerned with nuclear tests

RI, Japan concerned with nuclear tests

By Oei Eng Goan

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (JP): Indonesia and Japan share common a
concern on the violation of non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty by
signatory countries and called on the nuclear-power countries to
move towards the cessation of their tests.

"We discussed the (nuclear) tests that one country is doing
and another country intends to do, and on that score I think,
there is an identity of view between Japan and Indonesia. We both
deeply regret the tests," Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas
told journalists moments after he met with his Japanese
counterpart Yohei Kono yesterday.

Although Alatas did not mention specific countries, it was
widely understood that he was referring to China, which conducted
the test last May, and the planned series of tests by France in
the South Pacific sometime next month.

Kono is in Brunei's capital to attend the second ASEAN
Regional Forum (ARF) which opens today, a day after foreign
ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
concluded their 28th annual meeting on Sunday.

Asked whether Japan had asked Indonesia, or ASEAN, to put more
pressure on countries violating the NPT, Alatas said: "No, we did
not go that far."

Alatas said that other issues, such as the preparation of the
APEC meeting in Osaka, the ASEAN Europe Meeting and Japanese
involvement in the development of light water reactor for North
Korea, currently being constructed by the Korean Energy
Development Organization and jointly financed by Japan, South
Korea and the United States, were discussed during the meeting.

The meeting, held in the Purple Room of the Centerpoint Hotel,
lasted 10 minutes longer than scheduled.

Alatas said he also informed Kono about the Asia-Europe
Meeting (ASEM), which will be attended by 25 leaders from the two
continents. ASEM, proposed by senior officials of ASEAN and
designed to discuss political and economic issues in an open and
frank atmosphere, will be represented by all seven members of
ASEAN -- which comprises Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam --
Japan, South Korea and China and all members of the European
Union.

Alatas had earlier said that although Indonesia preferred the
participation of more Asian countries, such as India, Australia
and New Zealand, a few other ASEAN members rejected the idea.

Spokesman from the Japanese foreign ministry, Takashi Nakane,
said that during the bilateral talks with Indonesia, the Tokyo
government had reiterated its stance on East Asian Economic
Caucus (EAEC), an economic cooperation plan proposed by Malaysian
Premier Mahathir Mohamad, which is strongly opposed by the United
States.

Despite being supported by all ASEAN member countries, "Japan
thinks that the EAEC can be realized only with the blessing of
all APEC members," Nakane said, adding that the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation forum had been so much developed.

A number of foreign dignitaries arrived yesterday, including
U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, Australian Foreign
Minister Gareth Evans and New Zealand's Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Trade Don McKinnon, to attend the ARF meeting.

Alatas is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Evans today.