Soeharto vows to balance population with resources

Soeharto vows to balance population with resources

By Rikza Abdullah

NEW YORK (JP): President Soeharto, representing 75 heads of
state and government, pledged yesterday to balance population
growth with resources during a UN ceremony presided over by
United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

"We hope that the statement we are presenting today will form
a foundation for the strengthening and expansion of South-South
cooperation, particularly that in the field of population and
development," Soeharto said prior to presenting the Statement on
Population Stabilization. The statement is written on a plaque
made from copper.

The ceremony, held at the Trusteeship Council Chamber of the
UN headquarters here, was attended by representatives of the 75
heads of state and government participating in the UN's three-day
special commemorative meeting, which ended Tuesday night.

Also on hand at the ceremony were Indonesia's Minister of
Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono,
Minister of Population/Chairman of the National Family Planning
Haryono Suyono, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung,
Ambassador to the U.S. Arifin Siregar and Nugroho Wisnumurti,
representative to the UN.

Soeharto said that South-South cooperation is very important
to improve the self-confidence and self-reliance of the
developing countries in the South.

"When all nations are self-reliant, they will have greater
common responsibility to build a new world order which will bring
happiness to everybody," he said.

He said that Indonesia, with its population of almost 200
million, has experienced the difficulty of carrying out
development programs under low levels of health, education and
socioeconomic conditions.

The 75 heads of state and government preparing the statement
represented 3.9 billion people, or 68 percent of the world's
total population.

Executive director of the United Nations Population Fund Nafis
Sadik hailed President Soeharto's efforts to promote the
stabilization of population growth with resources by asking other
leaders to sign the statement.

"We note with special gratitude the outstanding efforts that
you, Mr. President, have provided for the initiative of world
leaders on population stabilization," she said.

"You have asked personally all the heads of government from
the Non-Aligned Nations to sign this important statement and 75
world leaders have done so."

"You have also promoted cooperation among countries, known as
South-South cooperation. It is in recognition of all these
efforts that you were honored in 1989 with the United Nations
Population Award, the only award sanctioned by the General
Assembly of the United Nations," he said.

Boutros-Ghali said that populations programs have been one of
the success stories of the United Nations.

During the 1960s, when such a statement on population was
introduced for the first time, global population was growing at a
rate of over two percent annually and fertility stood at almost
five births per woman.

Today, the population global growth rate has declined to 1.6
percent per annum and the fertility rate to 3.1 children per
woman, he said.

Meanwhile, Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono told reporters
Tuesday evening that President Soeharto had made separate
bilateral meetings at the UN headquarters building with Thai
Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-Archa, Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok,
Rumanian President Ion Iliescu and acting president of the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Stojan Andov.

Soeharto also held a meeting with UNICEF's executive director
Carol Bellamy.

Moerdiono said that Soeharto and Silpa-Archa exchanged views
on preparations for the third leadership meeting of the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which will be held in
the Japanese city of Osaka next month, and the next year's summit
meeting of European and Asian leaders in Bangkok.

The two heads of government also discussed efforts to improve
bilateral ties between Indonesia and Thailand, the minister said.

He said Kok also discussed preparations on the planned Asia-
Europe summit as well as the success of Queen Beatrix's 10-day
visit to Indonesia only a few days after the country celebrated
its 50th anniversary on Aug. 17.

The Macedonian leader asked for Indonesia's support for the
world recognition of his country, while the Rumanian president
invited Indonesia to improve economic cooperation with his
country, which, he said, could be used as a gateway for its
products to enter Europe.

Bellamy, according to Moerdiono, said UNICEF will continue its
assistance to Indonesia in support of its programs to improve the
health of its children.

"Bellamy appreciates Indonesia's recent success in carrying
out our nationwide polio vaccination program within a single
day," Moerdiono said. (riz)