U.S. not to raise human rights issue in APEC Summit
JAKARTA (JP): The U.S. administration will not raise human rights or democratic questions during the meeting of leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) here in November, says a visiting U.S. official.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sandra O'Leary said here yesterday that APEC would not discuss topics other than economic and trade issues during the summit meeting.
"APEC is an economic organization... and the agenda of the meeting is also to be focused on economic issues," she told a two-day U.S.-Indonesia Trade and Investment Conference.
The conference, co-sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), was officially opened by Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Industry and Trade Hartarto Tuesday evening.
Speakers at the two-day conference also included Robert Barry, the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, and Nancy Patton, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for East Asia and Pacific.
O'Leary stressed that it would be better not to discuss aspects other than economic issues during the next APEC summit.
She, however, said that the U.S. delegation, which would be led by President Bill Clinton, would have a number of meetings with APEC member countries, which could be used to discuss bilateral issues.
Human rights and democratic problems in developing countries are important aspects of the Clinton administration's foreign policy, she said, adding that the U.S. delegation will have the opportunity to address the problem bilaterally outside the APEC formal meetings.
Unfair
O'Leary denied that the U.S policy to link trade to the quality of labor of its trading partners as another form of unfair trading practice.
"We are talking about internationally accepted labor standards, not raising minimum wages," she said when questioned about Washington's prolonged review over the Generalized System of Preference (GSP) facility granted to Indonesia.
Under the GSP scheme, a wide range of Indonesian products qualify for duty free treatment. Around US$640 million worth of Indonesian goods or 14 percent of its total exports to the United States benefit the scheme annually.
The U.S. government has put Indonesia's GSP status under review over the past year amidst allegation that Indonesia was denying workers rights.
Indonesian economists, however, said that Washington's concern over the poor quality of labor is another form of non-tariff barriers aiming at curbing the inflow of cheap products into that country.
The U.S. government is now undergoing a final investigation about the Indonesian labor conditions before deciding the fate of the Indonesian GSP incentive.
Nancy Patton, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, said that one of the Clinton administration's commercial policy priorities is to strengthen economic relations with four Asian emerging markets -- China, South Korea, India and Indonesia.
"Indonesia has been put as a test case and a number of programs have been on the agenda," she said of the U.S. government's approaches in improving trade ties with Indonesia.
Information
The U.S. commercial information center will soon be opened in Jakarta to accommodate the needs of American and Indonesian businessmen, she told the conference.
Patton said a number of seminars had also been undertaken to encourage American businessmen to invest in Asia, in addition to a 24-hour business information service provided by the U.S. Commercial Department, she said.
Patton said that the possibility of providing financial facilities is also under study.
Asked if the U.S. delegation will also launch "commercial diplomacy" during the next summit, such as that by U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown during his recent visit to China, she said it could be and the deal to be signed might be much higher than those by Brown.
Brown was reported to have signed trade agreements worth US$5 billion during his Chinese trip.
Patton said that the expected business deals will cover infrastructure and energy but she declined to elaborate.
Sources said during Clinton's Indonesian visit, Exxon Corporation of the United States will sign a hefty business deal on the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) around Natuna Islands in the South China Sea, the northern path of North Sumatra province.(hen)