Indonesia to push for ASEAN haze center ratification at summit

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will push for ratification of the agreement establishing the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACCTHPC) at the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila to make the center operational.

The ministry's Director General of ASEAN Cooperation, Ina Krisnamurthi, said the center's secretariat had been established in Jakarta but could not begin operations until the agreement was ratified.

"Yes (it is a priority issue), because the center must be up and running. Otherwise, there is no point in opening a center without proper operational. We must immediately implement what we envision through the center," she said at a media gathering on Wednesday.

Krisnamurthi said the agreement establishing the ACCTHPC would take effect once six ASEAN member states had submitted their instruments of ratification. So far, only Vietnam has met the requirement.

She said the center could be a game-changer in strengthening the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP), which entered into force in 2003.

"This center will be a game-changer, a reinforcement of the agreements ASEAN has made since 2003. Furthermore, Indonesia is pushing for a monitoring system, established in 2013," she said.

Krisnamurthi also cited Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir's position that Indonesia's priority in ASEAN cooperation was to build a united, capable and resilient regional bloc, with national resilience underpinning regional stability.

"National resilience will improve regional resilience, thereby strengthening each other. If the region's national and regional strengths are strong, then Indonesia, together with ASEAN, will provide resilience to the world. So the theme is a united, capable, and resilient ASEAN," she said.

On October 27, Foreign Minister Nasir and Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan agreed to establish a Joint Task Force on Strengthening Business Responsibilities between Indonesia and Singapore.

Indonesia sees the task force as a mechanism to improve information sharing and build mutual trust with Singapore in tackling forest and land fires.

Nasir followed up on the agreement by chairing a ministerial-level coordination meeting on November 3 to strengthen regional cooperation and communication in efforts to combat transboundary forest and land fires.

The November 3 meeting was attended by Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat and Finance Ministry representatives.

It followed the President's directive to address irresponsible business practices contributing to forest and land fires.

Related news: Indonesia stresses regional coordination in addressing haze issues

Translator: Kuntum Khaira, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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