Ali Alatas | |
|---|---|
علي العطاس | |
.jpg) Official portrait, 1993 | |
| 1st Chairperson of the Presidential Advisory Council | |
| In office 10 April 2007 – 11 December 2008 | |
| President | Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | T. B. Silalahi |
| 13th Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 21 March 1988 – 20 October 1999 | |
| President | Suharto B. J. Habibie |
| Preceded by | Mochtar Kusumaatmadja |
| Succeeded by | Alwi Shihab |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1932-11-04)4 November 1932 |
| Died | 11 December 2008(2008-12-11) (aged 76) Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore |
| Resting place | Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery |
| Spouse | Junisa Wolff Alatas |
| Relations | Witjaksana Soegarda (son-in-law) |
| Children | Soraya Alatas Soegarda, Nadira Alatas Sriwijanarko[1] Fawzia Alatas-Patompo[2] |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Ali Alatas (Arabic:علي العطاسʿAlī al-ʿAṭṭās; 4 November 1932 – 11 December 2008[3][4]) was an Indonesiandiplomat ofBa 'Alawi sada descent,[5][6] who served as the country'sforeign minister from 1988 to 1999. He was Indonesia's longest serving foreign minister.[7]
Alatas graduated from the Indonesian Foreign Service Academy in 1954 and earned a law degree from theUniversity of Indonesia in 1956. Alatas joined the Indonesian foreign service in 1954 as a 22-year-old. His early career included stints in theIndonesian Embassy in Bangkok,Thailand andEmbassy in Washington, DC. He was named Indonesia's ambassador to theUN, inGeneva from 1975 to 1978 and was also ambassador to the UN inNew York from 1982 to 1988.[8]
He was Indonesia's Minister for Foreign Affairs from March 1988, serving three terms under the formerSuharto administration and once under the Habibie administration in May 1998.[9] He advocated regional cooperation and played a crucial role in drafting theASEAN Charter and the Constitution of the 10-member grouping theEminent Persons Group.[10] He also brokered peace negotiations in several hot spots inSoutheast Asia.[11]
His most famous success was his role in helping to broker peace inCambodia, in 1991, which ended the war with theKhmer Rouge. "Alatas brokered the historic 1991 peace settlement at theParis International Conference to end the war with the Khmer Rouge, though he had to share some of the glory withFrance," The Guardian wrote, calling the settlement his "greatest triumph."[8]
His obituary by Reuters said Alatas "was a widely respected figure in the region tipped at one stage to be a possible United Nations secretary-general" but that his later career was "haunted by the Suharto era and theturmoil in East Timor," the formerPortuguese colony thatvoted for independence from Indonesia in 1999. Alatas recounted his role in the diplomatic controversy overIndonesia's annexation of East Timor in 1975 and the events leading to independence inThe pebble in the shoe: The diplomatic struggle for East Timor.[7] His obituary inThe Guardian argued that a 1991massacre of anti-Indonesian demonstrators at Santa Cruz cemetery inDili,East Timor's capital, probably prevented Alatas from taking charge of the UN. "International outrage over the deaths may have cost Alatas the top UN job, for which he was in the running in the late 1990s,"The Guardian wrote. "Suharto reportedly vetoed his candidacy as he believed the role would have highlighted such abuses." Alatas later termed the Santa Cruz massacre a "turning point" for Indonesia inEast Timor.[8]
On 30 March 1995 he was appointed an Honorary Officer of theOrder of Australia, for service to Australian-Indonesian relations.[12]
In 2003, Alatas was appointed as the United Nations special envoy toBurma. He arrived in Burma on 18 August 2005 for a three-day visit and sought the release ofAung San Suu Kyi.[13]
Alatas served as chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council (Dewan Pertimbangan Presiden) in theYudhoyono Administration.[14]
On 11 December 2008, Alatas died at 7.30am, at the age of 76 of a heart attack atMount Elizabeth Hospital inSingapore,[15] with his wife and his three daughters at his bedside.[16] At the Indonesian Embassy inSungai Hanching on 13 December,Lim Jock Seng, Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade II, signed a condolence book on behalf of the Bruneian government.[17]
Australia:_ribbon_bar.png)
Honorary Officer (Civil Division) of theOrder of Australia (AO)
Austria:
Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver with Star of theDecoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
Cambodia:
Grand Cross of theRoyal Order of Sahametrei
France:
Commandeur of the NationalOrder of the Legion of Honour
Japan:
Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Rising Sun
Philippines:
Grand Collar of theOrder of Sikatuna, Rank of Raja (GCS)
Thailand:_ribbon.svg)
Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of theMost Exalted Order of the White Elephant (GCE)_ribbon.png)
Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of theMost Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (KGCT)_ribbon.svg)
Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of theMost Exalted Order of the White Elephant (KCE)
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Foreign minister ofIndonesia 1988–1999 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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