Soeharto wellcomes results of EU-ASEAN conference

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto Saturday praised the results of a recent conference between members of the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which broke from traditional discussions concerning human rights.

"The results of the meeting reflect a step forward in the cooperation between the two organizations," Soeharto said after receiving the letter of credentials from German ambassador Heinrich Seemann.

Seemann replaces Karl Walter Lewalter, who goes back to Bonn to resume a new position at the German foreign ministry.

Soeharto told Seemann of his hope for the results of the meeting to be followed-up and implemented soon.

Ministers from ASEAN and the EU gathered at Karlsruhe, Germany, last September for a two-day conference in which economic and commercial issues overshadowed the customary issue of human rights as the main feature of the talks.

As German foreign minister Klaus Kinkel revealed after the conference, even the issue of East Timor was not brought up during the meetings.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, while the EU comprises Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

Saturday also ushered in a new era in Peru-Indonesia relations as ambassador Elard Escala Sanchez-Barreto handed in his credentials to become the first Peruvian ambassador to Jakarta.

"I consistently follow the events occurring in Peru," Soeharto told Sanchez-Barreto.

Soeharto said in his address that for Indonesia and Peru to achieve their development objectives, they should foster cooperation with other countries of the world. One of best forums for doing this, he said, is the Non-Aligned Movement of which Indonesia presides and of which Peru is a member. (mds)