Soeharto criticizes UN for not preventing conflicts
Soeharto criticizes UN for not preventing conflicts
By Rikza Abdullah
NEW YORK (JP): President Soeharto delivered a five-minute
speech at the United Nations' Special Commemorative Meeting on
its 50th anniversary here on Monday, criticizing the organization
for failing to prevent military conflicts since 1945.
"To guarantee peaceful life after the Cold War, we need to
improve the capability of the UN, through effective global and
regional mechanisms, to create and retain peace and develop the
post-conflict peace while preventing conflicts through
diplomacy," Soeharto told the afternoon session on the second day
of the three-day meeting.
The gathering was attended by more than 145 heads of
state/government of the organization's 185 member countries.
Soeharto was the 83rd speaker at the commemorative meeting.
Soeharto said the UN had played a very important role in
efforts to limit conflicts through its peacekeeping operations
and negotiations which have sought peaceful solutions to
conflicts.
Indonesia, together with 15 other countries, issued a joint
statement after a meeting of their heads of state/government here
on Monday morning, saying that the capacity of the UN to prevent
conflicts and provide security must be greatly increased.
"The United Nations must be able to anticipate and prevent
crises, respond more rapidly to outbreaks of violence and
efficiently manage and resolve crises when they occur," the
statement said.
In his address, Soeharto said that the UN has introduced a
series of international development strategies since the 1960s,
but that these had been insufficient.
"They have not been adequate to mend the imbalance between
industrial and developing countries," he said.
He said the gap between industrialized and developing
countries continues to expand and that developing nations
continue to be excluded from decision-making processes regarding
the world economy.
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has been promoting the
reactivation of talks and cooperation between industrialized and
developing nations on the basis of mutual interests.
Soeharto said the failures of the UN in carrying out its
mission should also be attributed to its member countries. "We
often forget that the failures of this world organization are
also our failures," he said.
"We, therefore, have to pledge our full commitment to
supporting its efforts to improve services," he said.
The 50th anniversary provides a good opportunity for the UN to
improve its services through reform, revitalization and
democratization, he added.
After delivering his speech, Soeharto led an unprecedented
summit of the NAM Caucus in the General Assembly at the UN
headquarters building here. The caucus, whose coordinatorship is
rotated every six months, is currently led by Indonesia.
The closed-door meeting was attended by the presidents of
Botswana, Honduras, Nigeria, Oman and Rwanda. Colombian President
Ernesto Samper Pizano, the new chairman of the movement, was also
invited to the meeting.