I

ndonesia will host the second Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) from Thursday to Friday on the popular resort island, with more countries - ranging from Nepal to Portugal - showing their interests in Jakarta's initiative.

The Foreign Ministry said 36 countries have confirmed their participation and 12 countries will attend the conference as observers.

Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan and Kyrgyzstan are among the new participants in the forum that is aimed at "promoting regional international cooperation in the field of democracy and political development amongst countries in Asia." Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Spain will participate for the first time as observers.

"Portugal will send its *secretary of state for foreign affairs and cooperation, Joao Cravinho*," the ministry's director general for information and public diplomacy, Andri Hadi, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. "This is a good sign that interest in the BDF is growing."

The United States, which only sent its ambassador last year, has delegated its top diplomat, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William J. Burns, to attend the Bali meeting, according to the foreign ministry.

Japanese and Timor Leste premiers Yukio Hatoyama and Xanana Gusmao have also confirmed their attendance. Hatoyama, elected in September, is scheduled to co-chair a general discussion with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who will officiate the forum.

Among ASEAN countries, only Cambodia has not yet confirmed if it will send a delegation. Myanmar, harshly criticized for its ill-treatment of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, will participate for the second time in the forum which Jakarta said was "inclusive" for Asian countries.

This year's conference is themed "Promoting Synergy between Democracy and Development in Asia: Prospects for Regional Cooperation". "We will *discuss* democracy and the rule of law and also democracy and development in the information age," Andri said.

A researcher from the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), Dewi Fortuna Anwar, said she welcomed the growing international support for the Bali Democracy Forum as an effort to "propagate democracy" in the region.

"This is indeed a positive development," she said, adding that the BDF was crucial as it publicized the issue of democracy - normally discussed by academics and civil society groups - in Asia.

Dewi praised Japan's greater participation in the forum, saying that Japan could serve as a role model for aspiring Asian democracies. "Japan has an established democracy and at the same time is able to maintain a robust economy and retain its traditions. It has shown that democracy should not be pit against local values and development," she said.

Andri said the purpose of the BDF was to promote democracy through "exchange of views" as Indonesia believed that, though its basic principle is universal, democracy is implemented in different ways in different countries.