Acehnese clerics brief Arab countries' envoys

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Saudi Arabian Ambassador hosted on Friday a group of clerics from Aceh province for a meeting with a group of Arab ambassadors in Jakarta.

Saudi Arabian Ambassador Abdullah Abdul Rahman Alim, who hosted the dinner in honor of the guests from Aceh at his residence on Friday, told The Jakarta Post that the main aim of the meeting was to extend Arab countries' solidarity and support to the Acehnese people.

The secretary-general of the Indonesian Ulema Council, Din Syamsuddin, who played a key role in bringing the Acehnese team to Jakarta, introduced the clerics to several Arab countries' ambassadors and explained the grave situation in Aceh.

"These people lost everything. They need not only food, water and medicine, but also schools, houses, hospitals and mosques. They need doctors. They also need psychologists and religious teachers for counseling," Din said in fluent Arabic at the gathering.

Several ulemas revealed their sufferings and how they lost their loved one's and their belongings.

While addressing the gathering, Abdullah said Saudi Arabia was ready to help Aceh, especially in the reconstruction process.

"Our government has given a $30 million grant to tsunami- affected countries. Saudi people raised more than $100 million in private donations. The kingdom has so far dispatched more than 1,000 tons of humanitarian aid consisting of food, medicine, carpets and emergency equipment," Abdullah said.

Most of the Saudi Arabian assistance will go to Aceh and the Saudi government said it was ready to donate more money for building schools, mosques and a big project to build an orphanage center, which can accommodate up to 4,000 children, Abdullah said.

He said that Saudi Arabia's Red Crescent is currently undertaking a study to assess the damage and make recommendations on how the government can help Aceh's reconstruction.

Sudan's Ambassador to Indonesia Siddig Yousif Abu-Agla said there is a need for a concrete plan to rebuild Aceh so that Arab countries can contribute to this process.

Other ambassadors in attendance were, Mohammad Fadel Khalaf from Kuwait, Ahmed Salem Saleh Al-Wahishi from Yemen, Hamzah Yahia-Cherif from Algeria and Syria's Ambassador-designate Mohamad Darwish Baladi.