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)