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| Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, left, shaking hands with his Indonesia counterpart Marty Natalegawa before Thailand-Cambodia Joint Commission on The Demarcation Land Boundary (JBC) meeting at the State Palace in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia on Thursday. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) |
April 08, 2011
Ismira Lutfia
Jakarta Globe
As host of bilateral talks between Thailand and Cambodia over its border dispute, Indonesia on Thursday praised the progress of the discussions, although plans for sending observers to the conflict zone were yet to be finalized.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Thursday that the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission had so far agreed to focus on a diplomatic solution as opposed to use of force to resolve the border dispute.
“Today’s meeting represents yet another important step to underscore that diplomacy is the preferred means to solve problems,” the minister said.
“That’s the main message of the meeting.”
The JBC meeting began on Thursday and was set to conclude today.
It was originally conceived as a parallel discussion to the General Border Committee, but that meeting was vetoed by the Thai military over a proposed plan to deploy unarmed Indonesian Armed Forces personnel as observers to both sides of the border in the disputed area.
Marty said despite the apparent setback, he and his Cambodian counterpart, Hor Namhong, had followed up on the outcome of the Asean Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting in Jakarta in February, during which a regional plan was formulated to send Indonesian observers to ensure a cease-fire agreed to by the two countries was respected.
Both Thailand and Cambodia at the time had agreed to accept observers, a decision Marty said reflected the regional bloc’s confidence in Indonesia playing a role in conflict mediation.
Indonesia has laid out its proposed terms of reference for the observer mission, laying out the mandate for each team — comprising 13 unarmed military personnel and two civilians from the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry — to be stationed on each side of the border.
Marty said talks on Thursday morning with the Cambodian foreign minister had ended well with positive feedback on the observer mission.
“But at the same time, we have to recall that the observer issue is only an instrument to an end — the end being the continuation of the cease-fire and stability of the border area, and that fact has so far held up,” Marty said.
He said the disputed area has so far remained calm despite observers not being there to supervise the cease-fire. “So we need to maintain that peace and stability,” he added.
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