War won't sever RI ties with U.S.: Minister

War won't sever RI ties with U.S.: Minister

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja
and Kurniawan Hari
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Despite its antiwar stance, Indonesia is opting to take the
pragmatic route in response to an imminent U.S. strike on Iraq by
maintaining amicable ties with Washington.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono underlined on Wednesday the importance
of maintaining good relations with the U.S. "in a bid to
strengthen the ongoing peace effort and domestic stability."

Susilo said despite the difference in opinion on how to disarm
Iraq, Indonesia should remain objective in determining its stance
toward the U.S.

"We have to calculate whether severing ties with the U.S. or
boycotting their products would be effective in our efforts to
achieve world peace and domestic stability," he said.

He asserted that the government fully understood people's
resentment against the U.S. war plan; however, there were a lot
more interests at stake should Jakarta take a radical stance
toward Washington.

"We have to consider that currently the country is currently
striving to emerge from a prolonged economic crisis," Susilo
said.

Indonesia has long relied on the U.S, due to its outright
authority in the International Monetary Fund, from which Jakarta
is seeking financial assistance. The U.S. is also the second
export destination of Indonesia's products and one of the largest
investors.

Cutting ties with the U.S., therefore, would cause economic
conditions in Indonesia to crumble.

Separately, President Megawati Soekarnoputri said, "We are
following with deep concern the worsening situation in Iraq, and
have urged cooperation between countries to revitalize the UN in
solving the crisis," in a joint media statement with visiting
Swaziland King Mswati III.

The world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesia, may face
a rocky period should war break out, as domestic constituents
will urge a radical stance against the U.S.

As in 2001 when the U.S. attacked Afghanistan, several groups
including Anshor, the youth wing of the country's largest Muslim
organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), has asked the government to
expel U.S. diplomats from the country, following Washington's
ultimatum to Iraq.

A similar view was also expressed by the House of
Representatives foreign affairs commission, which condemned the
U.S. intention to attack Iraq, saying it violated human rights
principles.

Commission chairman Ibrahim Ambong suggested that a U.S.
military attack on Iraq should inspire the Indonesian government
to pull its diplomatic mission out of Washington.

"We are still monitoring the latest progress (in Iraq).
Pulling out the Indonesian ambassador from the U.S. is still an
option," Ambong told a media conference on Wednesday.

He added that the commission would soon send a statement to
House leaders, the government and the UN regarding the U.S.
policy.

Analyst Juwono Sudarsono said that the government should
consider several factors before taking a stance, should war begin
in the coming hours.

"I would suggest that the government should say that it
'deeply regrets' the attack to maintain balance," Juwono told The
Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The former minister of defense proposed that the stance should
be Indonesia "deeply regrets the attack as it will create a long-
lasting mistrust of U.S. motives, which will offset any gain the
U.S. might derive from a military strike."

He added that the government could not afford to condemn the
U.S. as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had also brought discredit
upon Muslims around the world.

On the other hand, though, the government would be considered
weak should it only express regret over an attack, Juwono said.

During the U.S. attack on Afghanistan, Megawati came under
great pressure domestically for simply regretting the strike. A
wave of protests then was directed not just at the U.S. but also
Megawati's administration.

Megawati finally condemned the attack, provoking Washington's
ire and creating uneasy relations between the two countries.