HASJIM Djalals cellular telephoneits cover held together by a rubber bandnever stopped ringing last week. The calls came from all fronts: reporters, DPR (House of Representatives) members, political analysts and even officials from Hasjims old work place, the Foreign Affairs Department. They all wanted the view of the 72-year-old retired diplomat on one hot issue: what is Indonesias legal position on the Ambalat dispute?

The conflict over Ambalat