RI needs to clarify its stance on Afghanistan

RI needs to clarify its stance on Afghanistan

Geoffrey Gold, Chief Executive Officer, Gold Group Asia/Pacific Ltd, Jakarta

Despite the goodwill generated by President Megawati
Soekarnoputri's timely visits to the United States and Japan to
promote investment and aid, global media attention is now
focusing on domestic demands for Indonesia to break relations
with the U.S. and to back the Taliban regime in Afghanistan with
financial and military assistance.

There is considerable disquiet that senior religious
authorities have couched the Afghanistan situation in religious
terms and that politicians have argued that the motivations
behind the terror attacks on the U.S. are morally valid.

As a result, threats to attack American and other foreign
residents and tourists and diplomatic, cultural and business
interests are being taken seriously by governments and
individuals alike, at great cost to Indonesia's trade and
development opportunities.

This is all very confusing to business partners, investors and
aid facilitators who assumed that Indonesia's well established
foreign policy and international commitments reflected its
national interests and the sentiments of its citizens.

According to public record, four consecutive Indonesian
presidents and their administrations have instituted or
maintained specific diplomatic policies aligning Indonesia with
anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan.

Decisions of the United Nations Security Council also appear
to further bind Indonesia to supporting action against the
Taliban, to banning any contact with Osama bin Laden, to
criminalize any financial assistance to terrorists, to suppress
any recruitment of members for terrorists and to eliminate the
supply of weapons to terrorists.

Does Indonesia support the Taliban regime in Afghanistan?

On the contrary, Indonesia recognizes the Taliban's enemy --
the Islamic State of Afghanistan under its president, Prof.
Burhanuddin Rabbani -- as the lawful government of Afghanistan.
Just check the embassy in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

Is the government recognized by Indonesia active inside
Afghanistan?

President Rabbani's army, known internationally as the
"Northern Alliance", is unleashing a major action against the
Taliban and may soon capture Kabul. It has agreed to participate
in an interim administration through a broad Supreme National
Unity Council whose first task will be to call a meeting of the
traditional Loya Jirga tribal council.

Meanwhile the UN only recognizes Rabbani's Islamic State of
Afghanistan. Only one UN member -- Pakistan -- recognizes the
Taliban.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference recognizes no one
-- Afghanistan's seat at the Conference of Islamic States has
been empty since 1996.

And which outside power is currently accused of causing grief
to the Afghanistan people?

The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan reported
to the UN that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, in
alliance with the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden, had recruited
extremists "from all corners of the world" to bases in
Afghanistan. He said Afghans had been persecuted by terrorists
from "Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East". Pakistan
has since withdrawn its diplomats from Afghanistan, supported
U.S. military action against the Taliban and sacked the head of
its Inter-Services Intelligence.

Have accusations against Taliban and bin Laden been made too
hastily? Shouldn't the UN deal with this matter?

Commenting on the U.S. military action in Afghanistan, UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan reaffirmed the "inherent right of
individual or collective self-defense" in accordance with the
Charter of the United Nations. "The States concerned have set
their current military action in Afghanistan in that context," he
said.

This is the result of a series of binding resolutions of the
UN Security Council. As a member of the UN, Indonesia has Charter
obligations to "accept and carry out" the decisions of the
Security Council. Indonesia represented Asia on the Security
Council in 1995-1996.

Importantly, the first resolution, 1,076 (1996) denounced the
"discrimination against girls and women and other violations of
human rights and international humanitarian law in Afghanistan."

Resolution 1,189 (1998) called on all states to cooperate to
apprehend those who bombed the U.S. embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania and to "bring them swiftly to justice". No 1,214 (1998)
demanded the Taliban "stop providing sanctuary and training for
international terrorists and their organizations."

Following bin Laden's indictment for the African bombings, No.
1,267 (1999) demanded the Taliban "turn over Osama bin Laden
without further delay." It ruled that all countries must freeze
Taliban funds.

Resolution 1,333 (2000) ruled all countries must stop the
supply of arms to the Taliban and military training of Taliban
forces and must freeze funds and assets of Osama bin Laden and
the Al-Qaida organization. It demanded that the Taliban halt all
illegal drugs activities "the proceeds of which finance Taliban
terrorist activities".

Resolution 1,368 (2001) called on all countries to "bring to
justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors" of the
terrorist attacks on New York and Washington and stressed that
"those responsible for aiding, supporting or harboring the
perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of these acts will be held
accountable."

Finally, resolution 1,373 (2001) reaffirming that acts of
international terrorism "constitute a threat to international
peace and security" and "the inherent right of individual or
collective self-defense" binds all countries to criminalize the
funding of terrorists, to suppress all "recruitment of members of
terrorist groups" and to eliminate "the supply of weapons to
terrorists".

There is an urgent need for Indonesia to clearly articulate
and explain its diplomatic position and international legal
obligations.