'RI must play a role in Korean peninsula'

'RI must play a role in Korean peninsula'

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Indonesia must help to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean
Peninsula by using its close links with North Korea, a group of
South Korean scholars said in Depok, West Java.

"Right from the beginning, Indonesia has had close links with
North Korea. Even at the personnel level, the leaders of
Indonesia and North Korea have been maintaining good rapport for
several decades. Indonesia must use its links with North Korea to
resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula," Prof. Yoo Ho-
yeol from the Korea University said in a seminar on the Role of
Indonesia in Inter-Korean Relations.

The seminar was held at the University of Indonesia's Faculty
of Social and Political Sciences on Friday.

Indonesia is one of the very few countries that has close
relations with both South Korea and North Korea.

"Previously, Indonesia facilitated dialog between North and
South Korean officials in Jakarta. So, we wish that Indonesia
continue its efforts in convincing North Korea to engage in
dialog with South Korea and resolve disputes in a peaceful
manner, including nuclear issue," Prof Kim Soo-il, another
participant of the seminar, from the Busan University of Foreign
Studies, said in fluent Bahasa Indonesia.

He was referring to the meeting between the foreign ministers
of both Koreas last year during the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)
meeting in Jakarta. The other meeting was between South Korean
Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan and North Korea's president of the
presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong-nam in April
during the Asian-African Summit in Jakarta.

Prof. Kim has been Indonesia's honorary consul in Busan since
1993.

But an Indonesian scholar have a different view on the role of
Indonesia in the inter-Korean relations.

"After the 1997 crisis, Indonesia is still preoccupied with
internal matters. It doesn't have time or energy to focus on
external issues. But Indonesia can contribute through ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations), ASEAN+3 and ARF
processes to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully," said Makmur
Keliat, a main speaker at the seminar and an expert on East Asian
Studies at the University of Indonesia.

Prof. Kim and Prof. Yoo and 19 other Korean scholars came to
Indonesia on an invitation from Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso. All
the 21 scholars are members of the Korean Political Science
Association.

Earlier, the dean of the Faculty of Social and Political
Sciences Prof. Gumilar Rusliwa Somantri welcomed the Korean
delegation and introduced his staff members to them.