RI says no to conditioned aid

RI says no to conditioned aid

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas stressed
again yesterday that Indonesia would not accept other countries'
attempts to make human rights records a condition for development
cooperation.

The minister said this narrow and one-sided approach was
counterproductive and a blatant denial of people's rights to
development.

Indonesia holds that the promotion of human rights should be
the subject of international cooperation, and that countries
involved in the cooperation should be treated as equals.

"And in this spirit of cooperation and mutual respect there is
no place for the practice that some countries often indulge in,
of making peremptory judgments on, or preaching self-righteous
sermons to one another," Alatas said while opening the Indonesia-
Canada conference on human rights at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs last night.

The two-day dialog is a follow-up to the two countries'
bilateral consultative forum, agreed on by Alatas and Canadian
Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy in Jakarta last July.

Alatas described the dialog as part of the two countries'
efforts to promote more "honest debate" on human rights.

The meeting will discuss several issues, including national
approaches to the implementation of human rights, international
technical cooperation on the issue, and setting a future agenda.

The minister said a balance must be maintained between
individual human rights and individual's obligations to their
community.

"Freedom without acceptance of responsibility can destroy
freedom... when rights and responsibilities are balanced,
freedom is enhanced," he said.

The participants are representatives from various institutions
of the two countries. Indonesia sends some members of the
National Commission on Human Rights. (prb)