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resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has dispatched Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa to meet with the foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand to try and settle their current border dispute.

Marty is slated to meet with Hor Namhong of Cambodia on Monday and Kasit Piromya of Thailand on Tuesday.

Marty’s mission was part of Indonesia’s effort as chair of ASEAN to help settle the dispute between Cambodia and Thailand that has flared since Friday, killing at least two Thais and three Cambodians.

“Indonesia is the ASEAN chair this year, so we have a moral responsibility to become part of the solution,” Yudhoyono said Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

The President said in his previous meetings with Thailand’s and Cambodia’s prime ministers that they had expressed a commitment to avoid conflict.

Marty said his visits to the countries were a follow-up to discussions he had with his Thai and Cambodian counterparts over the weekend.

He said Indonesia was ready to listen to what the countries had to say about the matter and would
try and help return the situation to normal.

“Indonesia will present our concerns and listen to what exactly the problem is and try to [help] stabilize the situation,” Marty said, as quoted by Antara.

“The problem bilaterally is very complex. There is no way for ASEAN to push its own interests. Both countries need to settle the problem on their own.”

In the meantime, ASEAN could help create a situation conducive for problem solving, he said.

Pelita Harapan University’s School of Social and Political Sciences dean Alexius Jemadu said it was problematic to count on ASEAN to settle conflicts, particularly territorial ones where a country’s “dignity” was at stake. This was difficult to do because of ASEAN’s lack of experience in the matter, he said.

He said ASEAN’s non-interference policy had limited the bloc from solving conflicts.

“The best thing the Indonesian foreign minister can do is to urge both sides [to refrain from conflict],” he said.

“Although that won’t be effective, it is necessary for Indonesia, as chair of ASEAN, to demonstrate that ASEAN has a role,” he said.

Alexius said ASEAN should try to develop a mechanism to empower itself in conflict resolution among ASEAN members, and not limit itself to normative stances.

Parahyangan University international relations expert Andreas Hugo Pareira said the Indonesian government was doing the right thing in helping to reduce tension and prevent open conflict in the region.