New envoy to UN seeks to elevate Indonesia's global influence

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 09/13/2007 2:32 PM

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, New York

Indonesia's Permanent Representative for the United Nations Marty Natalegawa presented Tuesday his credentials to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as Indonesia pursues to increase its influence in international politics.

Indonesia is currently an elected non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and is scheduled to hold the presidency in November.

Marty said Indonesia, having transformed itself from an authoritarian to democratic state at the turn of the decade, was seeking to gain political dividends out of its internationally much-praised reform.

""We're seeking full recognition that we have changed and can contribute. I think this is the best time to represent Indonesia at the UN,"" he said after meeting with Ban.

Marty said it would take enormous and distinctive efforts for Indonesia to take on a bigger role in regard to international issues, thus it was essential to identify what it was able to bring to the table.

""We need to have a clear sense of definition of our national interest on every issue ... how we are relevant to the UN and how the UN is relevant to us.

""We don't want to be dragged into mainstream issues without really knowing how it's relevant to us,"" the former envoy to London said.

One of the qualities Indonesia could bring to the table, Marty said, was the fact that democracy, modernity and its large Muslim population were able to function in harmony.

""Indonesia is a place where a lot of issues are at stake, such as modernization and a huge Muslim population. We are a case study, a lesson to be learned,"" he said.

He added that an important job for his New York mission was to ensure the public at home knew about the activities involved.

""A sense of belonging needs to flourish so the public knows we're involved in activities that are beneficial to the country,"" said the former Foreign Ministry's spokesman.

Marty said Secretary General Ban also mentioned Indonesia's current place in the Security Council and expressed his expectations, particularly on the climate change issue.

The UN is holding a high-level conference on climate change next week here, and the results are expected to set the pace at the Climate Change Conference by Kyoto Protocol's parties in December, on the island of Bali.

Indonesia is the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, largely due to unbridled deforestation and rampant forest fires.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is slated to arrive here in two weeks to attend the UN's climate change conference and the opening of the General Assembly's 62nd annual meeting.

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