1. RI HOSTING INT'L ISLAMIC INTELLECTUALS' CONFERENCE STARTING MONDAY .

Intellectuals from 43 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa will in an International Islamic Intellectuals' Conference organized by the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, an NU spokesman said.
"The conference is intended to unify visions about Islam and its role in maintaining world peace," NU Chairman KH Hasyim Muzadi said.
Facilitated by the Indonesian foreign ministry, the conference is to be opened by President Megawati Soekarnoputri and closed by Vice President Hamzah Haz.
Among the countries that had confirmed their plan to attend the meeting are the United States, Britain, Australia, the Vatican, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Timor Leste, Suriname, India, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.
Hasyim said the idea to hold the meeting came from the NU following its experience in dealing with religious conflicts in the country and other religious organizations and national figures grouped in the National Moral Movement.
It also came following discussions with professors from the Al Azhar University, the government, Australian academicians and British ambassador to Indonesia Richard Grozney.
"They all agreed that easing tensions between Islam and the West could not be achieved through politicians but through religious figures," he said.
He said the idea had drawn postive responses from foreign countries. He said by organizing the conference Indonesia as a predominantly Moslem country had been able to show a different image of Islam, namely Islam that brings calm and pursues peace.
"During the past four months, the West's perception of Indonesia and its Moslems has improved significantly compared to what it was in the aftermath of the Bali bombings," he said.
The situation was inseparable from the efforts made by the two largest Islamic organizations in the country, namely NU and Muhammadiyah, in guiding the country's Moslems' vision and the police in dealing with the religion-related terrorist cases.
Asked if President Moamar Khadafy of Libya would attend the meeting, Hasyim said Khadafi had indeed planned to visit Indonesia but not to attend the meeting.
"However members of Libya's board of propagation and a number of Lybian intellectuals will come for the conference," he said adding that all factions in the Islamic intellectual community, including the hardliners, had been invited to the conference.
He said around 300 participants from home and abroad were expected to participate in the conference while 31 speakers from abroad had already confirmed their intention to attend the coference and sent their papers.

Back to Top

2. ANNAN RECOMMENDS EXTENSION OF UN PEACEKEEPERS IN EAST TIMOR.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended a one-year extension of the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission (UNMISET) in East Timor in order to consolidate its peace and stability.
In a report to the Security Council, Annan said UNMISET's mandate was based on the assumptionthat East Timor would be in a position to maintain peace and stability on its own forces two years after its independence in May 2002.
However, he said, it has become "increasingly clear" that further assistance to East Timor will be crucial in a number of
areas after May 20, when UNMISET's present mandate expires.
Based on assessments made by a UN team after a visit to East Timor in January, Annan said the tiny Southeast Asian state needs UN assistance in improving the justice system and administration, developing national police and maintaining security.
In early February, both East Timor and its former colonial power, Portugal, wrote to Annan requesting a continued presence of
the nearly 4,500-strong UN peacekeeping mission, which has stayed in East Timor for two years.
In his letter, East Timorese Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri said the country's armed forces "are still not ready to deal independently with our internal tensions, the general volatility of a nascent country and the general volatility in our region."
"We are therefore deeply convinced that it is necessary to extend the presence of a United Nations battalion of peacekeeping
forces in Timor-Leste beyond May 2004," he said.
East Timor changed its name to Timor-Leste after gaining full independence from Indonesia in May 2002.

Back to Top

3. UN, ASEAN DISCUSS SECURITY COMMUNITY.

The idea of an Asean Security Community (ASC) perceived by Indonesia, and laid down in the Bali Declaration at the 9th Asean Summit in October last year, will be discussed by the United Nations at the fourth UN-Asean Conference in Jakarta, February 24-25, 2004.
Sources at the Indonesian foreign ministry in Jakarta disclosed on Monday that the conference will be held under cooperation between the foreign ministry, the Asean Secretariat, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Department of Political Affairs at the UN Secetariat (UNDPA), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The conference is scheduled to be opened by Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajudha and will be addressed by various officials of the Indonesian foreign ministry, and some other relevant agencies and institutions.
Through this conference, Indonesia is expected to get inputs for drawing up an ASC Action Plan, as the responsibility of Indonesia for conceiving the Asean Security Community concept.
The UN-Asean conference, themed "Conflict Prevention, Conflict Resolution, and Peace-Building in Southeast Asia", is also aimed at fostering Asean-UN cooperation in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict peace development.
The Indonesian foreign ministery will feature its Director General for Asian, Pacific and African Affairs DR Makarim Wibisono, and Director General for Asean Cooperation DR Marty Natalegawa, for a presentation on an Asean Security Community and Asean-UN cooperation.
The United Nations will be represented by Assistant to the UN Secretary General for Political Affairs Danilo Tuerk, and Julia Taft of the UNDP, the CSIS by DR Jusuf Wanandi, DR Hadi Soesastro, DR Clara Joewono and DR Rizal Sukma.
The other Asean member countries will be represented by offcials of their foreign ministries and embassies in Jakarta.
The ASC Action Plan itself had already been submitted by Indonesia to the other Asean countries and its discussion has already started at an Asean senior officials meeting (SOM) in Jakarta, February 19-20, 2004, and will be followed up at the 37th ministerial meeting (AMM) in Jakarta in June 2004.
One idea of the implementation of the Action Plan which has recently emerged, was for the formation of an Asean peace-keeping force which was also perceived by Indonesia.
The Action Plan was expected to be ratified by Asean leaders at the 10th Asean Summit in Vientienne, Laos, November 29-30, 2004, as an annex to the Bali Concord II (Bali Declaration).
Asean comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
Indonesia, now on its turn as the 37th Asean chairman, will end its chairmanship during the AMM, June 29-July 2, 2004, and hand over the Asean chairmanship to Laos.

Back to Top

4. U.N. HAILS PLAN TO SET UP ASEAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE.

The United Nations welcomes the idea of setting up an ASEAN Peacekeeping Force, UN Development Program (UNDP) official, Julia Taft, said after opening the 4th UN-ASEAN conference on the ASEAN Security Community (ASC).
Asked to comment on Indonesia's idea of forming an ASEAN Peacekeeping Force, Taft said it is important for ASEAN member countries to collaborate on peace and security development in the region.
"Whatever the form of collaboration in the region, it is important for the ASEAN to have a peace and development cooperation," she said.
The UN itself, she noted, will soon study the concept of the peacekeeping force before deciding on whether to support it or not.
"Many requirements should be met and I am not sure whether or not the ASEAN Peacekeeping Force could be incorporated with the UN Peacekeeping Force," she said.
To form such a force, the ASEAN has to meet a number of requirements, one of which is a diplomatic agreement among all ASEAN countries, she pointed out.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirajuda during the occasion said it is necessary to form a peacekeeping force for the ASEAN, because the grouping's members need help from other parties during times of crisis.
Hassan pointed out that when the Philippines needed a monitoring team for a "ceasefire" and a "peace agreement", it needed Indonesia's help.
Meanwhile, news reports in Thailand on Monday said Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Surakiart Sathirathai has rejected the idea of setting up a peacekeeping force.
For Thailand, he reportedly said, it is unnecessary to form an ASEAN Peacekeeping Force because there is practically no conflict in the region which would need the mobilization of such a force.
On the Thai minister's stance, Hassan refused to comment, saying there is a need for more discussions on the concept.

Back to Top

The US government will ask the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to scrap the name of Al Haramain SP2SI foundation under the chairmansahip of Hidayat Nur Wahid who is also general chairman of Justice and Prosperity Party from the list of international terrorist organizations linked to Al-Qaeda.
The US decision was actually a conclusion of a meeting between Hidayat Nur Wahid and US Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L Boyce.
The two met at the Hilton Hotel to clarify the US steps which in January this year had proposed to the UN to put Indonesia's Al Haramain LP2SI on the list of international terrorist organizations.
The US request, approved by the UN through the UNSC on January 26, 2004 which listed AL Haramain SP2SI as one of the international terrorist organization, was strongly rejected by Hidayat Nur Wahid.
"After conducting a detail survey including a series of discussions with Indonesian government and information from the management of the Islamic Boarding Schools and Studies Institution (LP2SI), the US government then decided to the UN to make a technical change by scapping the name of Al Haramain SP2SI from the list of international terrorist organizations," US Press Attache to Indonesia Stanley Harsha said.
The US admitted to have made such a mistake in listing the name of Al Haramain in the category of international terrorist organizations, but that country failed to express their apology for that kind of the mistake.

Back to Top

The US government has refused to apologize for having erroneously categorized an Indonesian Islamic foundation as an organization supporting terrorism.
Although it has admitted having made a mistake in accusing the Al Haramain Institute for Boarding School Services and Islamic Studies (LP2SI) of being a terrorist supporter, US Ambassador Ralph L Boyce failed to offer an apology, LP2SI head Hidayat Nur Wahid said.
He spoke to the press after a meeting with the US envoy.
Ambassador Boyce immediately left the Hilton Hotel after his meeting with Hidayat Nur Wahid, who is also chairman of the Justice and Welfare Party (PKS). The envoy only assigned his press attache, Stanley Harsha, to attend the press conference held after the meeting. During the press conference Harsha also failed to apologize for the US government's mistake.
At a press conference before meeting Boyce, Hidayat Nur Wahid expressed the hope that the former would meet the press and clarify the matter.
Harsha at the press conference only read a statement from the US State Department acknowledging that the US had made an error by including the Al Haramain LP2SI in the list of organizations to be proposed to the UN for declaration as terrorist organizations.
He said the US government would ask the UN to scrap the name of the organization from the list. He declined to answer any question including whether the US would offer its apologies for its mistake which had been considered damaging the Al Haramain LP2SI in particular and the PKS in general.
"Did I just read a statement from the state department," he said inviting boos from reporters. He immediately left the conference ignoring questions from several reporters who followed him to walk out of the room.
Hidayat Nur Wahid admitted that he was disappointed that the US had failed to apologize over the case. "Of course we expected such a statement (an apology)," he said.
Wahid considered the US effort to correct its mistake quite appropriate.
The United Nations on January 26 issued a press statement mentioning four foundations in the world including the Al Haramain foundation in Indonesia as organizations whose assets had to be freezed because they were suspected to have links with the Al Qaeda.
Based upon UN resolution 1267 all UN member states are obliged to freeze the assets of organizations blacklisted by the world body.

Back