Foreign Ministry not informed of Moslems' Israel trip<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said
\nit had no prior knowledge of the visit a group of Indonesian
\nMoslems made to Israel last week.<\/p>\n
A group of leaders from the Indonesian Committee for World
\nMoslem Solidarity (KISDI) yesterday went to the Ministry of
\nForeign Affairs to enquire about recent press reports out of
\nJerusalem suggesting that a group of \"Indonesian Moslem leaders\"
\nwere in town to attend the peace signing between Israel and
\nJordan. The delegation, led by Johan Effendi, also met with an
\nofficial of the Israeli foreign ministry.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, the KISDI delegation met with Irawan Abidin, the
\ndirector of information at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to
\nlodge their complaint about the visit.<\/p>\n
Led by Hussein Umar and Ahmad Sumargono, KISDI, which in the
\npast has mobilized other Moslem protests, demanded that the
\nministry and other institutions, including the immigration
\noffice, investigate the visit.<\/p>\n
\"There must be something wrong with coordination inside the
\nbureaucracy,\" Sumargono told The Jakarta Post after the meeting.
\n\"How could a group of people, which reportedly numbered over
\nseveral dozens, just slip out under their noses?\"<\/p>\n
\"This Johan Effendi is not even a Moslem leader.\" Sumargono
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The influential Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) has also
\ncriticized the visit.<\/p>\n
Sumargono backed the statement of MUI chairman K.H. Hasan
\nBasri that the \"delegation\" led by Johan Effendi was \"used by the
\nIsraeli government to undermine the friendly ties between
\nIndonesia and Arab countries.\"<\/p>\n
\"We want to see a calm, peaceful situation, especially in the
\nface of the coming APEC Economic Leaders Meeting, but the
\ngovernment should clarify the matter to appease Moslems.\"<\/p>\n
During the meeting yesterday Irawan expressed surprise over
\nthe visit, according to KISDI officials.<\/p>\n
Irawan pointed out that this is the second time his office was
\nleft in the dark about such a visit to Israel.<\/p>\n
The first incident was a February visit made by a group of
\nIndonesian journalists, including Nasir Tamara of the Republika
\ndaily which is affiliated with the influential Association of
\nIndonesian Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI).<\/p>\n
The ensuing reactions were strong; hundreds of Moslem youths
\nstaged protests over the visit which they said offended Moslems
\nin Indonesia and in the Arabian countries.<\/p>\n
Cautious<\/p>\n
Irawan said that it would be best for Indonesia to be cautious
\nin its relations with Israel as it remains a sensitive issue for
\nmany Indonesian Moslems, according to KISDI officials.<\/p>\n
He gave his assurances that Indonesia supports the efforts to
\nresolve the Arab-Israeli issue in accordance with UN Security
\nCouncil Resolution No. 242\/1967, Resolution No. 338\/1973, and
\nResolution No. 425\/1978.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Moslems' visit to Israel was reported by the
\nAFP news agency on Friday. The report said that the \"Moslem
\nleaders delegation\" was in the Middle East to attend the signing
\nceremony of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
AFP quoted Danny Shek, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign
\nMinistry, as saying that in their meeting with Israeli Deputy
\nForeign Minister Yossi Beilin the \"Moslem leaders\" called for
\nenhanced relations between Indonesia and Israel.<\/p>\n
They also emphasized that all religions have the obligation to
\nshun violence and terrorism.<\/p>\n
The press reports said yesterday that Johan Effendi and his
\nentourage were still in Israel. Johan, 55, was installed as a
\nsenior research specialist in the field of religious and social
\nstudies at the Ministry of Religious Affairs in 1992. He
\ngraduated from the Sunan Kalijaga Islamic Institute in Yogyakarta
\nin 1972. (swe)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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