UN Assembly adopts two RI-sponsored resolutions

JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations General Assembly adopted two Indonesian-sponsored resolutions on the eve of Indonesia's UN Security Council debut.

The two resolutions, one on Third World debt and another on a UN conference on South-South cooperation, were unanimously passed during the 49th session of the general assembly on Dec. 19, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

The resolution on the debt of developing countries was initiated by Indonesia and proposed on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Group of 77.

Indonesia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Nugroho Wisnumurti, stated that the resolution could bridge prevailing approaches to debt management.

"Apart from that, it may also help formulate an effective, comprehensive and development-oriented strategy which could solve the global problem of the developing countries' debt," he added.

Indonesia, since assuming chairmanship of the 111-nation NAM two years ago, has taken the initiative in focusing on the debt problem troubling many members.

President Soeharto addressed the issue when he met with leaders of the world's wealthiest nations at the Group of Seven summit meeting in Tokyo last year. In August, Indonesia also hosted a NAM ministerial meeting to look into the debt issue and its relationship with economic development.

The General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for an international conference to discuss cooperation between developing countries of the South. The South-South cooperation resolution was co-sponsored by NAM, Japan and the G-77 grouping.

Indonesia's newly appointed deputy representative to the UN, Makarim Wibisono, stressed the need for a new vision for South- South cooperation in his address to the General Assembly.

The UN conference on South-South Cooperation is expected to take place sometime next year.

Indonesia will be able to further the interests of developing countries in the world body when it joins the UN Security Council on Jan. 1. Indonesia, as a non-permanent member, will serve a two-year term.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has anticipated Indonesia's greater involvement in UN diplomacy by beefing up the its representative at the UN headquarters in New York.

It recently relieved Makarim from his post as director for Multilateral Economic Cooperation to serve as Nugroho's deputy on Security Council affairs.

He was replaced by Herijanto Soeprapto on Thursday.

Another change at the Ministry was Yulwis Yatim's posting as the new director for Technical and Economic Services Cooperation. He is replacing Herry Harjono, who has been appointed as Indonesia's ambassador to Laos. (mds/emb)