Indonesia - Profile - Ali Alatas.

The foreign minister since 1988, Alatas is concentrating on the issue of East Timor. In late January 1999, President Habibie decided to let the East Timorese have independence in early 2000 if they refused a Jakarta offer of wide-ranging autonomy. On March 15, 1999, Alatas said Jakarta would let the East Timorese vote in July on whether or not to accept Jakarta's offer. He said the vote would be conducted by teams under the UN assigned to visit all areas in East Timor as well as among East Timorese who live abroad. Alatas belongs to a prominent family which originates from the South Yemeni province of Hadhramout where the family is known as Al Attas with a wealthy branch in the Saudi business capital of Jeddah. There is also an Al Attas branch in Singapore, where there is a community of Hadhramis. A highly respected diplomat, Alatas is charged with projecting the main pillars of Indonesian foreign policy: (1) the concept of non-alignment, with Indonesia being a leading member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM); (2) Jakarta's critical roles in ASEAN and APEC, as a force for stability; and (3) its membership of the Islamic Conference Organisation (ICO), with emphasis on moderating the policies of the more radically inclined Muslim states. An energetic person, Alatas has been credited with steering Indonesian foreign policy away from dominance by the security-oriented military and creating a bigger, pro-active role for his ministry. Under him, Indonesia has served as a member of the UN Security Council, has spearheaded calls for a nuclear-free zone in the Pacific, and headed the NAM for three years until January 1996. He played a pivotal role in the Cambodian peace talks and hosted South China Sea workshops to facilitate a solution to overlapping claims on the Spratly Islands. Alatas' diplomacy has helped Indonesia gain a higher profile in regional trade.