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Cook brings his human rights agenda



Date: 08 Sep 1997 
The Nation 
Cook brings his human rights agenda to Asean 
British Foreign Minister Robin Cook's new-look policy, with its emphasis on 
human rights, faces its first test in Southeast Asia, reports The Nation's 
Andreas Harsono. 
When Robin Cook became the British foreign minister, among the first things he 
did was to replace the portrait of Charles James Fox hanging in his office 
with a portrait of his Labour predecessor Ernest Bevin. 
British columnist Matthew d'Ancona said that Cook and Bevin have their 
similarities. Like Cook, Bevin ­ who was foreign minister between 1946 and 
1951 ­ was a man of genuine principle. Cook is also widely known in Britain as 
an honest and plain-talking politician. But like Bevin, Cook is also a wily 
pragmatist. 
"The question is which instinct will prevail in the next five years?" asked 
d'Ancona. 
The first test took place when Cook visited Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and 
Singapore late last month, during which he discussed internationally-disputed 
East Timor and British arms sales to Indonesia with President Suharto. 
He also held talks with President Fidel Ramos of the Philippines, Malaysian 
Premier Mahathir Mohamad, as well as Singaporeans Goh Chok Tong and Lee Kuan 
Yew. He talked again about putting "ethical dimension" in his country's 
foreign policy. 
Regional uproar 
Cook sparked a regional uproar when he said at the end of his tour that 
Britain would deny visas to senior Burmese officials who want to attend the 
Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in London next April. Asem is a forum linking the 
15 members of the European Union with Japan, China, South Korea and seven of 
the nine Asean members. 
"Until the military junta in Burma is prepared to recognise the democratic 
rights of the people, and most certainly until it is prepared to cooperate 
with the rest of the world in trying to take action against the menace of 
heroin, it will be extremely difficult for the governments of the developed 
world to recognise the government of Burma as an acceptable interlocutor and a 
partner," he said. 
Mahathir immediately warned that other Asean countries might boycott the 
meeting if the European Union bars Burma from attending. "If there is 
discrimination against Burma; it is a discrimination against Asean. You may 
find other countries in Asean also deciding not to attend," he said. 
Rangoon also responded, saying that Britain was seeking to victimise Burma, a 
former British colony, as it did in colonial times. 
Earlier in Jakarta, Cook also produced some strains when he indicated the 
possible cancellation of some arms sales to Indonesia over human rights issues 
and the East Timor question. He told Foreign Minister Ali Alatas that Britain 
had recently reviewed criteria for arms sales "in the light of our commitment 
to human rights". The criteria will be applied to Indonesia as well. 
Many believe that it will not be an easy decision. Alatas himself immediately 
told the media, "Indonesia cannot accept it if arms sales or arms exports or 
trade are linked to such issues as human rights as a condition." 
Arms exporter 
Britain is one of Indonesia's biggest sources of weapons. In 1996 about half 
of UK's exports to Jakarta, worth US$1.3 billion, were defence sales. 
Indonesia has also signed contracts for the procurement of 16 Hawk jet 
trainer/fighters and light tanks worth $256 million and $240 million 
respectively. 
On the other hand, Cook's ethical vision will also increase the burden back 
home. 
After the US, Britain is the second-largest exporter of arms to the rest of 
the world. Its market share rose from 16 per cent in 1994 to 19 per cent in 
1995. 
The defence industry also employs about 400,000 people, or 10 per cent of the 
manufacturing workforce. 
Cook made an important speech in May, less than a fortnight after Tony Blair's 
election landslide, saying that the Labour government does not accept that 
"political values can be left behind when we check in our passports to travel 
on diplomatic business". He also said, "The Labour government will put human 
rights at the heart of our foreign policy ­ to spread the values of human 
rights, civil liberties and democracy which we demand for ourselves." 
Supporters applauded his liberal American-inspired view, saying that Cook has 
approached his job with the attitude that he really will try to change things, 
not just do what previous foreign ministers have done. 
"He's a Scot, and Scots generally have a better reputation for integrity than 
English people! I think it's fair to say that he's is one of the more trusted 
and respected politicians that we have," said British writer Adam Newey. 
Plain talk 
Critics, however, said that Cook was very naive to make such a speech. They 
said he was setting himself up to fail. Some even criticised his plain-talking 
style as being unsuited to Asian leaders like Suharto. 
Indonesian activist Bonar Tigor Naipospos, who Cook met in Jakarta, however, 
said that Cook did not only lecture about the abstracts. Cook also offered the 
Jakarta government help training their police force in human rights. He also 
told his counterpart that the Labour government would like to help Indonesian 
NGOs have a better computer network. 
"Although he cannot instantaneously cancel the arms sales, he asked people 
like me what he can do to help us here. 
We cannot expect Cook to fight for human rights and democracy here. He has to 
honour the contract made by the previous administration anyway," Naipospos 
said. 
However, Cook should spend more time and energy studying the intricacies of 
diplomacy in Southeast Asia ­ a region where his vision is likely to find 
fierce opposition ­ if his vision is to come true, he said. 
Alatas has earlier expressed surprise at Cook's Burma statement, saying that 
Burma's participation has not been decided yet either by Asean or the other 
participants. 
"I do not understand why Cook continuously talks about that, since there is 
still no discussion on it," he said. 
Alatas said a decision on Asem membership was based on individual 
participation, not membership of a regional organisation. 
"It is not a meeting of Asean on one side and the EU on the other."