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RI supports ASEAN proposal for conflicts, disasters
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 05/28/2007 8:37 AM
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia supports ASEAN's proposal to establish regional mechanisms for handling conflicts and natural disasters within countries in East Asia and the Pacific, an Indonesian senior official said.
Director general for defense strategy at the Defense Ministry, Maj. Gen. Dadi Susanto, said peacekeeping operations and disaster relief are of vital interest to Indonesia, because the country is an active participant in UN peacekeeping operations and it is prone to natural disasters.
""It is in our interest to join efforts to maintain peace around the world. That's why we have been active in defusing conflicts in many parts of world by joining UN peacekeeping force. Keeping the region safe is even more important,"" he said after speaking at a seminar at the UN Information Center (UNIC) in Jakarta on Friday.
Indonesia has joined in 43 UN operations, involving a total of 18,000 troops, Dadi said.
Indonesia, he said, also could benefit from the mechanisms because they would focus on helping cope with natural disasters.
""Indonesia is an area prone to natural disasters, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and floods. We have discussed the plan in China, and Australia will come up with standard operating procedures, while in early 2008 Indonesia will host an comprehensive exercise, which will be attended by all the ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum) members,"" Dadi said.
The results of the exercise would then be applied by the U.S. and the Philippines, and if successful, will be followed by the whole region, he said.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plans to submit a proposal for a new security mechanism for Asia and the Pacific during the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting in Manila early in August, that would enable the forum to respond quickly to defuse tensions in the region.
Under the proposal, two foreign ministers from the 10-member ASEAN, along with a foreign minister from one of ASEAN's 17 security partners, would form a rapid response team to deal with potential crises in region.
""This will enable the chairman together with his friends to be able to respond to any emergency situation or crisis in the region and in the world,"" Erlinda Basilio, a senior official at the Philippine Foreign Ministry, was quoted as saying by Reuters last week.
The Philippines, which will host this year's ARF meeting, said the mechanism would make ARF a relevant institution rather than a talk-shop among the world's powerful states, including the U.S., Russia, China, India, Japan and the European Union.
Several countries in Southeast Asia are dealing with prolonged conflicts that have claimed thousands of lives. In southern Thailand, an insurgency continues to claim lives, while in southern Philippine years of conflict between Moro separatists and the government continue to rage.
Military and international expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Kusnanto Anggoro, said regional peacekeeping operations were the only viable solution to conflicts.
""We must acknowledge the UN has failed in many of its peacekeeping operations around the world because of a lack of mandate, finances and the complication of the conflicts. Regional-based solutions to the conflicts will alleviate the UN's financial burden and create a more acceptable solution,"" he said.
