RI regrets Rice's decision to skip security forum

Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Indonesian government expressed regret that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's would not be present at the ASEAN meeting and Asia Regional Forum at the end of July.

However, the government asserted that it would not bow to pressure from countries like the U.S. to push for reform in Myanmar, as the latter was free to decide its own affairs, said foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa.

The 10 countries grouped in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its dialog partners, including China, Japan, South Korea and India, will take part in the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) and the Post-Ministerial Meeting, starting on July 24.

ASEAN and its security dialog partners, including the United States, the European Union and Russia, will convene at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on July 29.

Rice said earlier this week that she would not attend the ARF in the Laos capital of Vientiane, saying she had a scheduling conflict. Her deputy, Robert Zoellick, will represent the U.S. at the meeting.

"We regret Condoleezza Rice's absence at the ASEAN meeting in Vientiane, because this is the first time that the U.S. will not be represented by an official at the ministerial level. But we have no problem with the official standing in for her. We just thought that this was an unusual occasion," Marty said on Friday.

"The dialog process between ASEAN and the U.S. will continue despite her absence," he added.

After meeting with Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Monday, Rice urged Southeast Asian nations to press for the upholding of human rights and openness in the military-ruled Myanmar.

The issue is significant because Myanmar is set to take over the ASEAN chairmanship in 2006 from Malaysia. The chairmanship is rotated in alphabetical order.

Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar called Rice's absence "regrettable". He said on Tuesday that he hoped Rice's absence was not an indication that the U.S. was placing less importance on or showing less interest in ASEAN, while focusing on the Middle East.

Marty said that Indonesia was steadfast in its opinion that Myanmar should be allowed to make its own decisions, without outside interference, including from its closest neighbors.

"The Myanmarese chairmanship is something that we (ASEAN) can decide on our own. We don't need any warning or signal from other countries to help us in our decision over Myanmar and its chairmanship. We have told Myanmar our stance precisely," he said.

The final decision on the 2006 ASEAN chair will also be decided in a consensus between ASEAN nations, he said.

"Myanmar is likely to announce its decision during the AMM, and has said it will consider ASEAN's collective interests. Myanmar also understands that an ASEAN chair carries huge responsibility. We would understand if Myanmar chose to turn over the chairmanship, considering the situation at home."

"But the final decision is in ASEAN's hands, through consensus," said Marty, who is also the ministry's director general for ASEAN cooperation.

He said that Myanmar would not have to wait another 10 years for the chairmanship, as long as the country was well-prepared.

In this year's AMM, participants are expected to approve the ASEAN agreement on disaster management and emergency response, which would allow the establishment of a regional humanitarian center, said Marty.

In the ARF, he said participants would do much of the "housekeeping", including accepting Timor Leste as a participant, and agreeing on the transformation of the ARF from a forum for confidence-building measures to preventive diplomacy.

"Indonesia is certain that this is the right time to move forward to preventive diplomacy. This is not an 'either ... or' issue, the two diplomatic functions can work together," he said.