MFA 'disappointed' at Indon sand ban remarks

The Straits Times, February 19, 2007

SINGAPORE'S Foreign Ministry has said it was 'disappointed' at an Indonesian official's remarks last week that the ban on sand exports was meant to pressure Singapore on the extradition treaty.

The remarks by Mr Primo Alui Joelianto, the Director-General (East Asia, the Pacific and Africa) of the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs (Deplu), were carried in The Straits Times last Saturday, a day after they appeared in The Jakarta Post.

Mr Primo had said that the ban announced by Jakarta last month was a 'key way of placing more pressure on the city-state to move faster towards signing an extradition treaty and resolving the countries' border spats'.

In response to press queries, a spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: 'If this is indeed Deplu's approach, it is a disappointment to us. The official reason for the ban announced last month was environmental protection.

'Director-General Primo's remarks lead us to wonder whether that was the main reason for the ban. Singapore had earlier expressed willingness to work with Indonesia on environmental protection, but Indonesia ignored this offer and proceeded with the ban.

'The ban is now purportedly tied to ongoing negotiations between the two countries. Singapore has embarked on negotiations with Indonesia on the Extradition Treaty and border delineation in good faith on the basis of mutual benefit.

'On the Extradition Treaty, both Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had agreed in Bali on Oct 3, 2005, that it would be in parallel and linked to the negotiation on a Defence Cooperation Agreement. Indeed, on this basis, we have made good progress on both agreements even though some difficulties remain.

'What is needed is political goodwill on both sides to finalise the agreements, which, from Singapore's perspective, is within reach. Unilaterally making sand an additional issue with the objective of delinking the Defence Cooperation Agreement from the Extradition Treaty contravenes the earlier agreement by the two leaders.

'As for the linkage to border delineation, Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo said in Parliament recently (Feb 12, 2007) that the talks are complicated enough without this additional complication.'