U.S. cannot impose its values: Bush

U.S. cannot impose its values: Bush

JAKARTA (JP): Former U.S. president George Bush said here last
night that the United States should not lecture other countries
on human rights and the environment because every single country
has its own culture and systems.

"We put forward requirements on environment and requirements
on human rights. However, there are totally different cultures,
different systems of believing in human rights, but in different
ways they perceive," Bush said at a gala dinner hosted by
Citibank last night.

Present at the gala dinner were, among others, Minister of
Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, State Minister of Investment Sanyoto
Sastrowardoyo and Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja.

Bush suggested that attempting to improve human rights and
environmental conditions in any country by quiet diplomacy would
bring better results rather than by "hitting them right in their
faces".

When asked Bush declined to comment on Indonesia's human
rights record, saying, "I'm not expert on the internal affairs of
this country."

He then described human rights developments in China after the
Tiananmen Square tragedy in 1989 and in Singapore after the
canning of an American teenager for vandalism earlier this year
as good results of U.S. diplomacy.

Bush, who was in Singapore when the canning took place, said
Singapore now could open up a bit on the issue of human rights
after the United States tried to intervene with its political
muscle to change Singapore's view on human rights.

He also recognized that there are far more individual human
rights in China today, as compared to the time before the
Tiananmen tragedy.

"Pressing for changes, yes, it is needed. But you wouldn't
reach the goals if you humiliated somebody you want to change,"
Bush said.

He also stressed security arrangements in the region involving
the United States as the stabilizing power. He recognized that
although the region seems to be stable, there are still some
threats looming.

"Our enemy now is instability and unpredictability. Who knows,
a Sadam Hussein could come up here in the region," Bush said.
"I'm the one who does not trust North Korea. I want to see its
real steps for opening its nuclear program."

Bush said he expected that there would be a military
relationship between the United States and Indonesia to ensure
peace in Southeast Asia.

APEC

Bush last night praised President Soeharto's leadership in the
second informal conference of the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) in Bogor, south of here, in the middle of this
month. The gathering came up with an agreement on the gradual
liberalization of trade and investment in the region by 2010 for
developed members and by 2020 for developing members.

"I salute President Soeharto for having the vision to push
that meeting," Bush said, adding that APEC's move would create
the world's largest free trade area.

APEC groups 18 economies -- Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile,
China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, South
Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and the United States -- which
together control 50 percent of the world's Gross National
Products (GNP) and 60 percent of the global merchandise trade.

However, he warned that the agreement would be difficult to
implement unless APEC leaders lay out blueprints. "There are
still a lot of details needed to be clarified."

When queried about the possibility of the ratification of the
new Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) by the U.S. Congress,
Bush predicted that it would be passed, and "it must be passed".

He said if the United States failed to ratify it next week,
the World Trade Organization, which was negotiated for seven
years, would be in danger of collapsing.

On Wednesday, Senate Republican leader Robert Dole laid his
support behind Democrat President Bill Clinton for the world
trade pact.

Bush also assured that the North Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),
which involves the United States, Canada and Mexico, is not a
trade bloc because it is still consistent with GATT principles.
The GATT treaty allows any regional grouping as long as it does
not raise new barriers for non-member countries.

"I hope everybody here to look at NAFTA not as a trade
bloc ... but a trading partner," Bush said. (rid)