Indonesian Diplomacy

THE idea of holding an Asia-Africa Conference was first conceived when Ali Sastroamidjojo received a letter from Sri Lankan Prime Minister John Kotelawala early in 1954, inviting Ali and prime ministers from three countries to meet in Colombo, for a discussion on the worsening tension in Indochina. The others were the prime ministers of India, Pakistan and Burmanow Myanmar.

Ali agreed to participate as long as he could explore possibilities for another meeting involving heads of states. It was a precarious task, given the sharp division between nations, resulting from the Cold War. "The conference in Colombo could be used for that purpose," Ali told members of the People's Council, on August 25, 1955, after the conference, as recounted in his book Tonggak-tonggak di Perjalananku (Milestones in My Journey).