UN Assembly adopts two RI-sponsored resolutions
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)