RI welcomes Manila's move against East Timor talks

JAKARTA (JP): Philippine President Fidel Ramos may be drawing domestic fire for his decision to put the brakes on a conference on East Timor in his country, but the move seems to be healing the strained bilateral relations with Indonesia.

While not outright banning the conference, he has prevented foreign participation, which should deprive it of any real barn burners

Yesterday Ramos defended his decision and voiced the hope that it will help Indonesian anger over the meeting to subside.

He said foreign and local human rights groups might assail him for the ban, but added that Indonesia is "a valuable ally" and that it is more important to preserve harmonious ties with Jakarta, Reuters reported from Manila.

The meeting scheduled between May 31 and June 4 and organized by private groups had Jakarta furious, complaining that a forum was being provided by a close friend to enemies of Indonesia.

The issue at one time verged on threatening diplomatic relations between the two neighbors with Indonesia insisting that Manila ban the conference. The Philippines said its constitution protects free speech.

"The dictates of higher national interest are paramount," Ramos told reporters in southern Davao, where he was inspecting government projects.

"Reliable reports indicate that the conference is a forum for the active advocacy of highly political matters by non-Filipinos on topics adversely affecting good bilateral relations with a close neighbor," Ramos said. "This we cannot allow."

Initial reaction

Indonesia's initial reaction came on Friday but it was somewhat cautious as it was in response to press reports out of Manila.

"If what has been reported by the press was actually the decision of President Ramos, then we welcome the decision because it reflects the views and evaluations that we have been giving about the conference since the beginning," Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said in a statement.

"This conference was fully inspired, planned and engineered by people like Ramos Horta and friends .. It's clearly part of Ramos Horta's political campaign to attack and discredit Indonesia and to disrupt the territorial integrity of Indonesia."

If the conference proceeds, without foreign participants, "then this is obviously their (Philippine's) domestic problem and we're entitled to make our own judgment," he said.

Indonesian anger has not been limited to diplomatic circles.

Moslem groups are planning to hold a conference on the secessionist Moslem Moro movement in the Philippines and businessmen have canceled their participation in a business meeting in the southern city of Davao this week, forcing the organizers to postpone the gathering.

Ramos said he welcomed the postponement of the business meeting "as it can serve as an effective mechanism to cool down heightened passions." (emb)