A career diplomat, jurist and a former journalist, Ali Alatas (born 4 November 1932 in Jakarta) was Foreign Minister of Indonesia from March 1988 to October 1999. During that period he served not only as a principal initiator and formulator of Indonesian foreign policy but also as its chief articulator to international and national audiences. He also contributed actively to the formation of the collection positions and views of such international organizations as the Nonaligned Movement, the Group of 77, ASEAN and APEC. As chairman of the Jakarta Informal Meetings (JIM) and as Co-chairman of the international Conference Cambodia in Paris, he played a key role in the settlement of the Cambodian conflict in the early 1990s. He was instrumental in the negotiations between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front, which led to a Peace Agreement in 1996 that put an end to more than two decades of MNLF rebellion in the southern Philippines. He is also credited with Indonesia becoming Chairman of the Non-aligned Movement in 1992-1995, during which the Movement succesfully launched a dalogue with the developed world represented by Group of Seven most industrialized countries. That dialogue is still ongoing. As strong an advocate for the work of ASEAN in retirement as during his tenure as Foreign Minister, he is today a freguent speaker at international seminars and discussions on internatonal issues.