U.S. parties see human rights as important issue

U.S. parties see human rights as important issue

JAKARTA (JP): Observers of American politics said yesterday
that whether a Republican or a Democrat is elected to the White
House in November, human rights will continue to feature in
relations between Jakarta and Washington.

"Whoever is in power, they will still be bearing down on us on
human rights issues," said former Indonesia ambassador to
Washington Hasnan Habib.

According to Hasnan, such issues are ingrained in the values
of the American people and thus it would be doubtful if an
American executive did not concern himself with the topic.

"Even during the Republican era of (former president Ronald)
Reagan it was the same," he remarked.

The United States presidential election is coming up in
November with incumbent President Bill Clinton from the
Democratic party running for a second term against Republican
candidate Bob Dole.

Speaking at a seminar on U.S. Domestic Politics and Its Impact
on Foreign Policy, American academic David Newsom said even if a
new administration came to power there would only be subtle
changes in foreign policy.

"There isn't much room to maneuver," he said in the seminar at
the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

When asked about the issue of human rights and the importance
attached to it by the two parties in foreign policy, Newsom said
such issues are "very deep in the American political body".

"Whatever party gets in, this issue will not go away," said
Newsom, who is interim dean at the Edmund A. Walsh School of
Foreign Service in Georgetown University, Washington.

A member of the National Human Rights Commission, Marzuki
Darusman, questioned the widely held perception that Republicans
tend meddle less in domestic affairs of other countries than
Democrats.

Newsom said that while Republicans generally favored less
involvement in the domestic affairs of friendly governments in
the past, they believe there is justification to intervene in the
affairs of non-friendly governments, such as communist states.

Nevertheless he maintained that America has deep attachments
to human rights and democratization.

Furthermore, since the 1970s legislation has been introduced
which require a government to concern itself with such issues.

Among this legislation is the requirement for the State
Department to issue annual human rights reports on various
countries.

When asked which party would be best for ties with Jakarta,
Newsom diplomatically responded by saying that "Indonesia-U.S.
relations have prospered through both Republicans and Democrats."

Hasnan Habib separately said that he personally prefers the
Clinton administration. He added that Clinton has shifted U.S.
policy from attention to Europe to attention to the Asia-Pacific.

"Clinton is our partner in APEC," he said.

Hasnan said that Dole is a unilateralist with little interest
in working within the United Nations and is dubious in his
priority towards APEC. (mds)