South China Sea workshop in Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will host once again the annual workshop on managing potential conflicts in the South China Sea.

The Dec. 1 to Dec. 3 workshop will be held in Jakarta for the first time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The eight previous meetings were held in resort areas away from the capital to maintain an atmosphere of informality given the sensitivity of the issue. A conducive atmosphere was essential in bringing together the parties who have overlapping territorial claims to the strategic Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Six participants -- China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei -- lay claim, in part or in whole, to the Spratly Islands which many believe to be rich in hydrocarbon resources. The other participants -- Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Thailand -- have an interest in promoting regional stability.

The workshop does not profess to trying to settle the overlapping claims, but is more a forum to encourage cooperation among the participants pending a resolution of their conflicts, the ministry said.

In terms of programs, previous meetings produced modest results, such as joint project on biodiversity research, a joint study on changes in the ocean's surface and on the setting up of a database and information network of scientists.

Indonesia said the programs were a means to help contain the potential conflicts, and attention and resources could be channeled to mutually beneficial projects for the region.

The workshop is organized jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Research and Development Agency, the Canadian International Development Agency and Vancouver's University of British Columbia.

As in the past, participants, comprising government officials and scholars from the 11 countries, will be taking part in their personal capacity. (emb)