Hassan attacks unilateralism in Iraq war<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda launched a harsh
\nattack on Monday against unilateralism on the part of the United
\nStates in the Iraq war, saying it had destabilized the world and
\nfailed to address any global security issues.<\/p>\n
Confronting the United States' claim that it was a "just war"
\nto end terrorism and eliminate weapons of mass destruction that
\ncould threaten the world, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs
\nHassan Wirayuda said those threats have remained and found new
\njustification.<\/p>\n
"The situation in Iraq today shows that smart bombs and air
\nstrikes cannot turn the tide in the war against terrorism,"
\nHassan said when addressing a regional security conference here.<\/p>\n
"Terrorists have no fixed addresses that can be obliterated
\nonce and for all with surgically precise military strikes," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Hassan further said that civilian casualties and the deaths of
\ncombatants in any military operation would create an emotional
\nfallout.<\/p>\n
"They create martyrs and make it so much easier for the
\nterrorists to gather new recruits," he said.<\/p>\n
The United States and its close allies invaded Iraq in March
\nto destroy weapons of mass destruction believed to have been
\nproduced by president Saddam Hussein. Up until now, however, they
\nhave found no evidence proving the existence of such weapons.<\/p>\n
The unilateralism has also angered some Muslim countries
\naround the globe, who believe the war against terrorism as
\ndirected at Islam and Muslims.<\/p>\n
Citing the fact that no weapons of mass destruction had been
\nfound in Iraq, Hassan said: "An entire country has been leveled
\nto the ground for no good reason."<\/p>\n
"The keen sense of grievance has become even more pervasive
\nall over the Muslim world. That can only be a setback in terms of
\nglobal security," he remarked.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has been a staunch critic of the U.S.-led strikes
\nagainst Iraq aimed at ousting Saddam Hussein's regime and
\neliminating weapons of mass destruction.<\/p>\n
Just hours after allied forces started pounding Iraq,
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri strongly deplored the attack
\nthat had sidelined the United Nations and undermined the
\nsovereignty of another country.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has also criticized Washington for its failure to
\nensure security in Iraq, as casualties grew after the war was
\ndeclared over in May.<\/p>\n
Hassan further said that the ongoing sporadic gunfights and
\nsuicide bombings in Iraq showed that there were powers that
\nremained strong against the U.S. occupation.<\/p>\n
He said that the ongoing conflicts may incite civil war among
\nIraqis and at the end pose threats to the Middle East region.<\/p>\n
In the regional conference organized by the Council for
\nSecurity Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP), Hassan said the
\nwar proved that not all security problems in the world could be
\naddressed with the use of military power.<\/p>\n
Awesome firepower, he said, had been unable to obliterate
\nstubborn resistance or remove the threat to global security which
\nthe occupation forces sought.<\/p>\n
He said that the war against terrorism was a struggle for the
\nhearts and minds of the population. "That struggle calls for wise
\npolicies, not smart bombs," he added.<\/p>\n
The minister said that the world's basic problem today was
\nalienation that made individuals, groups or nations go their own
\nway.<\/p>\n
"The antidote is of course the affirmation, either we are
\nruined together or we achieve common salvation. That salvation is
\nwhat the United Nations has been all about," he stressed.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hassan-attacks-unilateralism-in-iraq-war-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}