RI welcomes Manila's move against East Timor talks
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)