Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - Research and Technology Minister Kusmayannto Kadiman said Indonesia`s cooperation with the United States in the Naval Medical Research Unit Two (Namru-2) project should be suspended while the two sides prepared a new agreement reflecting the principle of equality. Speaking at a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission VII here Thursday, the minister was spelling out one of three options he was proposing to resolve the controversy on whether Indonesia should continue allowing Namru-2`s presence on its territory. The two other options were : permanent discontinuation of Namru-2`s presence in the country and continuation of the cooperation based on the principle of equality. He said Indonesia actually already had the capability to set up a research body in the same class as Namru-2 in terms of the needed human resources as well as facilities meeting the conditions for level-3 biosafety status. The country already had three research units that could be used for the purpose, and would have two more in the near future - one at the health ministry and the other at the agriculture ministry, he claimed. But the minister also called to mind that Namru-2 was established on January 16, 1970 -- when Indonesia still lacked good research facilities and human resources -- based on a request from the health ministry in 1968. In the pertinent cooperation agreement there was a clause saying the cooperation would continue until one of the two parties wanted it terminated with the notice to be given at least 60 days before termination."And until now, none of the parties has given such a notice," he said. Kadiman said the cooperation in Namru-2 could in fact be advantageous to Indonesia "if we can be smart too" because the unit had useful facilities and its personnel had more experience from which Indonesia could learn.(*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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