Jakarta summit condemns 'obnoxious' Serbian policy

JAKARTA (AP) - The Non- Aligned Movement closed its summit meeting yesterday after denouncing 'the obnoxious policy of 'ethnic cleansing' by Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina'.

Distracted for more than a week by arguments over the carnage in member-state Yugoslavia, the movement delayed the close of its summit for seven hours to work out language in a statement condemning Belgrade. An earlier version was not deemed strong enough because it did not mention the Serbs by name.

After the change was made, Belgrade filed a reservation, saying 'one-sided changes asked for by a few countries, as well as singling out one party to the conflict, certainly serve neither the cause of peace nor of the truth'.

Although the movement broke no new ground at the summit, leaders strove to project the image of a group eager to face the challenges of the 1990s. President Suharto of Indonesia, which took over as chairman of the movement for three years, said it 'will not only endure but will also continue to grow in strength in the service of all mankind'. Without explaining how, he said the end of the Cold War confirmed the validity of non-aligned principles.

President Suharto called for a revival of the dialogue between the industrialised North and the developing South, which he said should be 'conducted on the basis of genuine interdependence (and) mutuality of interests, and of benefits'.

Yugoslavia's presence overshadowed other deliberations even before the summit opened last Tuesday, with critics saying the rump country should be ousted from the movement and told to re-apply in the name of Serbia and Montenegro. A final decision on its status was put off until after the opening of the UN General Assembly in mid-September. The new republic of Croatia is now a member, and Bosnia sent an observer.

Opposition to Belgrade was led by Malaysia, Iran, Egypt and other members of the Organization of Islamic Conference, which has observer status. They denounced the treatment of Muslims in Bosnia.

In an early compromise, Indonesia took over the chairmanship of the 108-nation group from Yugoslavia before the summit in Jakarta had opened. The movement has been without effective leadership for several years while Yugoslavisa splintered.

The statement issued at the end of the summit steered clear of the confrontational tone of the movement's earlier years. There was little of the fiery rhetoric that was once standard fare at non-aligned gatherings.