Abbas arrives, seeking support

Jakarta, NU Online
Indonesia hopes to use its presidency of the UN Security Council in November to play a larger role in resolving the Israeli-Palestine conflict and the row between Hamas and Fatah.

As Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas arrived here Sunday afternoon as part of a tour of three countries in the region, local experts and legislators asked Indonesia to use the momentum to play a greater and more serious role in mediating a solution to the conflicts that have plagued the Middle East for decades.<>

There is a room for the country to play a bigger role, experts say, because country's current standing is also enhanced by the fact that it is regarded as being home to moderate Muslims, and has good relations with most of the major parties involved in the Middle East problems, especially the United States, Fatah and Hamas.

"The question is whether Indonesia seriously wants to be one of the players. To be frank, we have never been serious as we have stay at the rhetoric level only. Now, it's time we state if we really want to play a meaningful role in solving the problems," an expert on the Middle Eastern issues at the University of Indonesia, Broto Wardoyo, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He said Indonesia should chose whether to focus on mediating Palestine's internal conflicts involving Fatah and Hamas or the broader level of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"If we consider our capacity, we better focus on resolving the Hamas-Fatah conflict as both of them respect us. Each of them sent special envoys here for support when they controlled the government," Broto said.

Earlier, international relations expert at the Indonesian Institute of Science Dewi Fortuna Anwar agreed that the country could play the role of an "honest broker" in talks between Hamas and Fatah, as its only interest in the matter was a peaceful outcome.

The head of the House of Representatives' Commission I on security and international affairs, Theo Sambuaga, said Indonesia should make a sustained effort to help the Palestinian people.

He said such an effort could include extending financial support to the country and pushing for a more tangible solution to the crisis at the UN Security Council.

Abbas was greeted by Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda upon his arrival at Halim Perdana Kusumah Airport in East Jakarta on Sunday afternoon.

"There is no program today. President Abbas will meet with President Yudhoyono tomorrow morning. During the meeting, several MOUs, including cooperations on diplomat training and a technical cooperation agreement, will be signed," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kristiarto Soeryo Legowo said.

Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said that President Abbas would probably follow up the inclusion of Indonesia in the upcoming U.S.-sponsored Palestine-Israel meeting as he had proposed in New York.

Abbas left the West Bank on Thursday for an Asian tour focused on winning support from key Muslim countries ahead of the meeting with Israel, due to take place in Annapolis in the U.S. state of Maryland in November.

On Tuesday Abbas will deliver a speech to Indonesian diplomats, businesspeople and officials at a gathering organized by the Indonesian Council on World Affairs and the Office of the Special Staff of the President for International Affairs.

"We should welcome Indonesia's bigger role and its presence at the U.S.-sponsored Palestine-Israel meeting. But we must be realistic about what we can do to help the process. Unless the U.S. really wants to solve the problem, the conflict will continue," international relations expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies Bantarto Bandoro told the Post. (dar)