Commission to implement decisions

By Amit Baruah

JAKARTA, MAY 31. Eleven years after setting it up, leaders of the G-15 today questioned the efficacy of the organisation and stressed the need for reinvigorating and revitalising the grouping which was formed to serve as a forum to further the interests of developing countries.

At the retreat of G-15 leaders yesterday, a proposal was put forward by the Venezuelan President, Mr. Hugo Chavez, to set up a ``commission'' to implement G-15 decisions. After much debate at the closing session today (since countries like Chile, Kenya, Mexico, Peru and Sri Lanka were represented by Ministers at the summit and, hence, could not attend the retreat yesterday), the proposal to set up the ``commission'' was finally approved by consensus.

The joint communique issued at the end of the two-day summit said on the issue: ``We undertook an appraisal of the objectives, orientations and functioning of our Group and agreed on additional steps to finetune and revitalise the procedures and mechanisms for consultations and cooperation among our countries...''

Acknowledging the ``imperative for a sombre reflection and the revitalisation of the G-15 to better attain its founding objective of serving as a catalyst of developing countries'', it was decided to establish a commission with the Venezuelan President, Mr. Hugo Chavez, at its head to ``elaborate on the matter and carry out consultations and make recommendations to other Heads of State and Government''. The Foreign Ministers of the G-15 are to then act on the agreed recommendations.

The language used in the joint communique was politically correct, but Mr. Chavez (Venezuela is the new G-15 Chairman) repeatedly referred to the organisation as ``impotent''. Mr. Chavez said he was concerned to see that the ``biggest proportion'' of decisions taken by the Heads of State were ``left by the wayside''. It was time, he said, for action and not just words. The G-15 should ``either strengthen itself or disappear'', the Venezuelan leader said, adding that it had no choice but to strengthen itself. ``The G-15 should be strong so that the Northern world should listen to it seriously.''

The Jamaican Prime Minister, Mr. P.J. Patterson, who strongly supported the formation of the commission, was critical of nations who could not be represented at the retreat yesterday since their level of representation was not sufficient. His statement followed objections from some delegations that they were not aware of the proposal to create a ``commission'' to implement decisions take by the G-15 leaders. Mr. Patterson said the decisions taken yesterday could not be ``watered down'' because of this reason.

India and Indonesia, too, supported the proposal to set up a commission as did Kenya which said the ``commission'' should not be a supra-institution and there should be no ``financial implications'' for member-countries. The closing session, which was supposed to end at 11.30 local time, continued some three hours after the deadline. Much of the time was taken up by Mr. Chavez who actively pushed his proposal to create a new implementation instrument.

Speaking on the issue, the Indonesian President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, said the ``fertilisation'' of the G-15 was very important. ``If we don't think of that (fertilisation) then there is no point in continuing with the G-15.'' Asked for his view on the G- 15 deliberations, the Vice-President, Mr. Krishan Kant, said: ``We are happy that we have worked together.''

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Section  : International
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