What are Indonesia's responsibilities to Afghanistan?

Geoffrey Gold Chief Executive Officer Gold Group Asia/Pacific Ltd Jakarta

Despite the goodwill generated by President Megawati Soekarnoputri's timely visits to the United States and Japan to promote investment and aid, global media attention is now focusing on domestic demands for Indonesia to break relations with the U.S. and to back the Taliban regime in Afghanistan with financial and military assistance.

There is considerable disquiet that senior religious authorities have couched the Afghanistan situation in religious terms and that politicians have argued that the motivations behind the terror attacks on the U.S. are morally valid.

As a result, threats to attack American and other foreign residents and tourists and diplomatic, cultural and business interests are being taken seriously by governments and individuals alike, at great cost to Indonesia's trade and development opportunities.

This is all very confusing to business partners, investors and aid facilitators who assumed that Indonesia's well established foreign policy and international commitments reflected its national interests and the sentiments of its citizens.

According to public record, four consecutive Indonesian presidents and their administrations have instituted or maintained specific diplomatic policies aligning Indonesia with anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan.

Decisions of the United Nations Security Council also appear to further bind Indonesia to supporting action against the Taliban, to banning any contact with Osama bin Laden, to criminalize any financial assistance to terrorists, to suppress any recruitment of members for terrorists and to eliminate the supply of weapons to terrorists.

Does Indonesia support the Taliban regime in Afghanistan?

On the contrary, Indonesia recognizes the Taliban's enemy -- the Islamic State of Afghanistan under its president, Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani -- as the lawful government of Afghanistan. Just check the embassy in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

Is the government recognized by Indonesia active inside Afghanistan?

President Rabbani's army, known internationally as the "Northern Alliance", is unleashing a major action against the Taliban and may soon capture Kabul. It has agreed to participate in an interim administration through a broad Supreme National Unity Council whose first task will be to call a meeting of the traditional Loya Jirga tribal council.

Meanwhile the UN only recognizes Rabbani's Islamic State of Afghanistan. Only one UN member -- Pakistan -- recognizes the Taliban.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference recognizes no one -- Afghanistan's seat at the Conference of Islamic States has been empty since 1996.

And which outside power is currently accused of causing grief to the Afghanistan people?

The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan reported to the UN that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, in alliance with the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden, had recruited extremists "from all corners of the world" to bases in Afghanistan. He said Afghans had been persecuted by terrorists from "Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East". Pakistan has since withdrawn its diplomats from Afghanistan, supported U.S. military action against the Taliban and sacked the head of its Inter-Services Intelligence.

Have accusations against Taliban and bin Laden been made too hastily? Shouldn't the UN deal with this matter?

Commenting on the U.S. military action in Afghanistan, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan reaffirmed the "inherent right of individual or collective self-defense" in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. "The States concerned have set their current military action in Afghanistan in that context," he said.

This is the result of a series of binding resolutions of the UN Security Council. As a member of the UN, Indonesia has Charter obligations to "accept and carry out" the decisions of the Security Council. Indonesia represented Asia on the Security Council in 1995-1996.

Importantly, the first resolution, 1,076 (1996) denounced the "discrimination against girls and women and other violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Afghanistan."

Resolution 1,189 (1998) called on all states to cooperate to apprehend those who bombed the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and to "bring them swiftly to justice". No 1,214 (1998) demanded the Taliban "stop providing sanctuary and training for international terrorists and their organizations."

Following bin Laden's indictment for the African bombings, No. 1,267 (1999) demanded the Taliban "turn over Osama bin Laden without further delay." It ruled that all countries must freeze Taliban funds.

Resolution 1,333 (2000) ruled all countries must stop the supply of arms to the Taliban and military training of Taliban forces and must freeze funds and assets of Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaida organization. It demanded that the Taliban halt all illegal drugs activities "the proceeds of which finance Taliban terrorist activities".

Resolution 1,368 (2001) called on all countries to "bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors" of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington and stressed that "those responsible for aiding, supporting or harboring the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of these acts will be held accountable."

Finally, resolution 1,373 (2001) reaffirming that acts of international terrorism "constitute a threat to international peace and security" and "the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense" binds all countries to criminalize the funding of terrorists, to suppress all "recruitment of members of terrorist groups" and to eliminate "the supply of weapons to terrorists".

There is an urgent need for Indonesia to clearly articulate and explain its diplomatic position and international legal obligations.