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9 December 2003 |
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http://www.antara.co.id/e_berita.asp?id=124200&th=2003 |
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Jakarta - Indonesia has asked Australia for a written explanation on the concept of the US Missile Defence Project (MDP) and its implications on Indonesia and Southeast Asian region, a senior minister has said. "I asked for a written explanation on the defence system," Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said after meeting Australia`s Foreign Minister Alexander Downer here Monday night. Yudhoyono said although the defence system has been introduced by the United States, Indonesia needed to ask Australia as the latter was part of the system, so that the former could study
the concept of the defence system more comprehensively. |
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8 December 2003 |
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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/61028/1/.html |
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JAKARTA : Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has explained that his country's plan to join the US-led Defence Shield programme is aimed at rogue states and rogue organisations, not Southeast Asia. But Indonesia has warned that the move would only trigger an arms race and undermine efforts for regional stability. Mr Downer, who is on a visit to Indonesia, called on President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Monday. Bilateral relations post-East Timor have been on the mend and both sides have scored successes in joint anti-terror operations. The Defence Shield, however, threatened to derail relations again. Australia explained that ASEAN has no ballistic missiles and has nothing to fear. Mr Downer said: "It is an issue relating to the possibility of rogue states or rogue organisations obtaining or developing ballistic missiles, particularly medium and long range ballistic missiles." Indonesia has been accused of habouring rogue organisations like terror network Jemaah Islamiyah and Australia's posturing makes Indonesia nervous. Indonesia's Foreign Ministry has once again slammed the move and Minister Hassan Wirajuda insists it only undermines confidence-building. Australia has said it is prepared to help the Americans in areas like Research and Development and data transfer. Australia and Indonesia sides are scheduled to hold a joint anti-terror conference in Bali in early February and Mr Downer invited President Megawati to open the conference. Australia is also keen on setting up a counter-terrorism centre in Jakarta. Indonesia has not responded. Mr Downer also pledged almost US$4 million to the UN education programme in Indonesia that will also cover Islamic schools there. He extended yet another invitation to President Megawati to visit Australia. Since assuming power, President Megawati has not visited Australia but she has toured obscure European countries. Although she promised to visit soon, relations remain cool. Relations with the United States are not any brighter either. At a regional security forum, Mr Hassan gave an emotional speech and pronounced the Iraq invasion a failure. We listen hard, he says, but we do not hear any renunciation of the doctrine of arbitrary pre-emptive war. The US countered by urging patience and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Daley predicts that for post-Iraq, the US will not be in the lead in dealing with every problem. He said the US would be the supporting cast in some regional crises like the Solomon Islands. - CNA Related News
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8 December 2003 |
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http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/tue/dec9w10.htm |
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JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesia said Monday that an Australian-backed US programme to develop a missile defence shield could trigger an arms race and undermine regional stability. "News about the missile defence programme could trigger an arms race," Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda told reporters after accompanying his visiting Australian counterpart Alexander Downer in a meeting with President Megawati Sukarnoputri. "Although it is claimed that this programme is defensive, parties which have missile capability, especially inter-continental ballistic missiles, will further develop their capability to deal with new armaments," Wirayuda said. He said such an arms race would undermine regional security and stability. "Such programmes like missile defence system do not help prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," he said. Downer played down concerns. "Australia is not building a missile defence system," he told the same press conference. "The United States is working on a missile defence system. All Australia has said is that we would be prepared to participate in areas like research and development and transfer of data. It would be far too expensive for Australia to build a system like that." He said Southeast Asian countries were not threats because none of them had ballistic missiles. "It's an issue relating to the possibility of rogue states or rogue organisations obtaining and/or developing ballistic missiles, particularly medium- and long-range ballistic missiles and being able to stop those missiles killing people," Downer said.
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