RI urges Third World countries to improve ties
RI urges Third World countries to improve ties
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has urged fellow developing countries
to strengthen their trade ties in the face of new attempts by
rich industrialized countries to attach labor and other social
clauses to their trade relationships.
Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief said, in his speech before
the current meeting of labor ministers from Non-Aligned Movement
in New Delhi, that these conditionalities were imposed by
industrialized countries to protect their own markets and
workers.
"Non-aligned and other developing countries should cooperate
to increase trade and technical assistance among themselves. If
we are all considered as one market, then we have great marketing
potential," Latief said. Latief's speech was made available by
his Jakarta office yesterday.
The three-day meeting was opened by Indian Prime Minister
Narasimha Rao on Friday. President Soeharto also addressed the
meeting in his capacity as chairman of the 111-nation movement.
Soeharto, in his speech read by Latief, urged all developing
countries to improve the quality of their human resources in
facing the fast global changes. He also asked developing
countries to intensify dialogs with developed countries to create
a new and fair international trade order.
Latief said that as the trade potentials of developing
countries further improved they could speed up their development
and increase their people's income and purchasing power.
Developing countries will have no difficulties in steering
their economic developments because they have natural resources
that can be exploited, he said.
Cooperation in trade between developing countries is necessary
to face the new veiled protectionist barriers now being raised by
industrialized countries, he said.
"Up to the present time, as developed countries have not been
able to provide the evidence of their steps taken to reduce
protectionism, we consider that their policy is still to
intensify protectionism against developing countries," he said.
The rich industrialized countries succeeded in inserting the
labor clause into the new General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT), compelling countries to abide by certain labor codes.
Western countries are also vigorously campaigning for the eco-
labeling system, subjecting imports to stringent environmental
requirements.
Weapon
Latief cited the international industrial standardization,
known as ISO-9000, as one weapon being used by industrialized
countries to deny developing countries access to their markets.
He said that this form of protectionism is not likely to last
long because the same measure is driving their own investors away
and into developing countries.
Trade unions in developed countries are under an illusion that
imposing the social clause would protect their industry and jobs.
"Investors are preferring to invest in developing countries
rather than developed ones because of relatively low costs in
developing countries," he said.
The minister also urged the developing countries to enhance
cooperation in all fields, to let them develop their own national
economy.
Citing, for example, Indonesia and India could exchange
information and experience in the aircraft industry and land
transportation. (rms)