9 September 1999: Second MINA press conference

Speaking from Auckland, Axworthy said his side meeting had “basically have taken over, in effect, the agenda of APEC which is an economic forum to deal with this political security issue.” Unusually, Indonesia’s ASEAN partners were among the participants. The meeting aimed to “mobilize some international support for the notion of an international peacekeeping force.”

At the side meeting, Secretary of State Madeine Albright represented the United States. Soon afterwards, as he prepared to board his flight to Auckland foe the full APEC summit, US president Bill Clinton joined the call for Indonesia to allow an international security force. This was his first public statement to that effect.