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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."