Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should personally lead the Indonesian delegation in talks to ease the tensions over border issues with Malaysia scheduled for September 6, 2010, an international law expert said.

"As the talks are an effort to ease the tensions between Indonesia and Malaysia, while the President has already sent a letter to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak about it, it is a good momentum (for the president`s presence at the talks), Hikmahanto Juwana, professor of international law at the University of Indonesia (UI), said here Monday.

He said although the meeting would actually be held at foreign ministerial level, it was better if the President attended and led the Indonesian delegation because the Indonesian public now doubted Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa`s diplomatic ability.

According Hikmahanto, in the Indonesian public`s view, the diplomatic efforts Marty made to solve the recent border incident with Malaysia had been inadequate, and tended to be weak so that many people had criticized the foreign minister.

Therefore, whatever Marty would do, even if the meeting with Malaysia turned out to be success, his public image would remain bad, Hakmahanto said.

"People now no longer are interested in the possible results of the negotiations but in who is going to represent Indonesia," he said.

It was now time for the President to prove his diplomatic ability as his foreign minister`s capability is no longer trusted by the people.

It was hoped President Yudhoyono and PM Najib will be able to find the best possible solution to the problem in the sense that it is not only accepted by the two governments but also by their peoples

The president should adopt a firm and candid stance although it be had thing to do because of the foreign minister`s statement last August 18 that the Bintan incident of August 13 had happened in Indonesian waters.

Yet , the public had noticed that the Malaysian authorities had never said so.
If Marty had not been too hasty in making the statement, the Prisedent would not have been placed in the present difficult position, Hakmahanto said.
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Editor: Bambang
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